


Wrong Place, Right Time

by Pyrosnowman



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, Marinette won't really be present because she isn't the focus, They're 17
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-06-06 08:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15190652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyrosnowman/pseuds/Pyrosnowman
Summary: Adrien has, once again, qualified for a fencing tournament. The catch? It's in the middle of London. Forced to participate by his father's ever-unpredictable whims, Adrien and his fellow team mate, Kagami, travel to what should be a relatively uneventful match, but when an akuma shows up, Adrien realizes he might be in over his head.





	1. Separation Anxiety

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to come out months ago. Whoops.

“Halt! Red! That’s match, Agreste, take a seat. You move on to the final bout.”

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief, shifting out of his stance and lowering his fencing foil. Even for a full-time superhero, fencing in full gear in the height of summer in Paris was a bit much. Of course, stopping wasn’t much of an option at this point. Adrien had just won (again), which meant that the second Kagami finished off her opponent, he’d be tossed into a match with her. He knew better than to hope for her to be too tired to put up much of a fight, Kagami Tsurugi had almost as much stamina as he did when he was in the suit; any victory he scraped against her would be through skill and complete lack of mistakes on his part.

A small part of him considered throwing the match, claiming exhaustion, but the rest of him promptly shoved the idea away. His pride demanded that he try his hardest against Kagami, and his respect for the fellow fencer refused anything less. On top of all that, Adrien needed the practice. Adrien’s father was adamant that he actually participate in the tournament hosted in Britain that he had qualified for, and given that fighting as Chat Noir was a completely different experience from fencing as Adrien Agreste, he couldn’t afford to slack off. _It would be kind of cool to win,_ the competitive side of him whispered. _Maybe it would catch her eye._

“That’s where this thought ends,” Adrien muttered, yanking his mask down. Contemplating his emotional state regarding women in red was out of the question when he sorely needed to focus on not being skewered. At least Plagg couldn’t hear his thoughts out of the suit. The mischievous God of Discord would be howling with laughter and tossing bits of camembert at his Chosen if he could. It was the small miracles that sustained Adrien’s dignity at this point.

“Adrien, you’re red. Kagami, you’re blue. Standard match. Try to stop when I call ‘Halt’ this time, yes?”

Adrien smiled ruefully under his mask. Something about Kagami brought out his competitive streak, and she gave every bit as good as she got. Previous thoughts of throwing the match were completely discarded as Adrien’s breathing steadied and his vision focused fully on Kagami and her stance. Weight was on her back foot, she would lunge forward with enough strength to still catch him if he back-peddled. Kagami liked opening aggressively, Adrien would have to counter with the same aggression. It wouldn’t catch her off guard (it never did), but it would keep him from sticking entirely to the defensive. With Kagami, fighting defensively was a sure way to lose.

The coach’s call to begin barely registered to Adrien, everything switched to instinct. Kagami lunged forward just like Adrien knew she would, and Adrien sidestepped and closed in just as Kagami knew he would. Their moves matched each other perfectly for a brief exchange, a testament to the numerous matches they’d fought against each other. Improvisation eventually took over when Kagami feinted right and switched into a thrust up Adrien’s center. Adrien’s foil missed her ribs by a hair’s breadth, but D'Argencourt didn’t miss any of it.

First point: Kagami.

Each round was an increasingly hectic fight, but neither fighter showed any sign of stopping. Adrien took a lead by three points, but Kagami decimated him in the following rounds and snatched it from him by a margin of 5 points. Back and forth the two combatants went, furiously seeking openings with increasingly risky moves in order to gain advantage. By the time the ninth and final minute came around, the two were tied and were forced into a sudden death match. It was a familiar situation, one that Adrien couldn’t help but chuckle at. They weren’t always this evenly matched, but it happened more often than not. They were unequivocally the best on the team, and they had fought so much that reading each other’s moves had become second nature with almost no effort.

D’Argencourt called the final bout to begin, but instead of lunging for each other’s throats, the two circled around each other. Any feints would be too easily read at this point; they had been going at it long enough that the speed necessary for such a maneuver simply wasn’t there, and a direct attack would be too easily parried.

 _How would I do this as Chat Noir?_ Adrien thought to himself. _Overwhelm, rush in and buy time for Ladybug. Take minor hits to deal major ones, let my armor absorb the pain._ The flickering of an idea was beginning to form. As far as fencing went, it was sloppy. Chat fought with an escrima or bo-staff, Adrien used a fencing foil. They weren’t using epees, which would be his saving grace. Risky, but Adrien couldn’t afford to play it safe. Victory was all that mattered, even if it was by technicality. _Fuck it._

Adrien lunged forward, keeping a steady attack to keep Kagami from exploiting his openings, pressing into a closer range. He slowed down just enough to let her foil slip towards him, but years of fighting as Chat Noir had honed reflexes that on anyone else would be Olympian. Adrien turned, the foil tip burrowing itself in his padded arm ( _No point awarded, not with a foil,_ Adrien thought smugly) while his own blade went directly into Kagami’s sternum.

“Halt! Victory, Agreste!”

Adrien smiled, straightening up and resting a hand on his hip. Kagami shook her head and tugged off her mask, giving him a curious look that he couldn’t read. “That was risky,” she stated simply.

Adrien shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“Your timing was perfect,” Kagami conceded with an exasperated smile. “I’ll be sure to watch out for it next time.”

“Guess I’ll just have to throw riskier moves your way,” Adrien quipped with a smirk. _You’re letting your Chat Noir show, Agreste. Tone it down._

 

* * *

 

Adrien barely had time to get home, shower, rush through his homework, and put in a passable effort into a piano lesson. His father wasn’t present, and Nathalie was kind enough to let him slide with a few mistakes. Over the years, she had become an unexpected ally in Adrien’s continued struggle to brand himself outside of his father’s expectations. His frustration at the necessity of it all was in no way helped by his rapidly approaching 18th birthday and Adrien’s growing desire to escape his father’s control. Adrien loved Gabriel Agreste as any son could, but the years of justifying his father’s actions and patiently going along with every demand was frankly growing old. After he turned 18, he would be in his last year at school before Adrien moved to Britain to study physics, and his escape to the freedom that had eluded him for so long would be complete.

Or rather, it _would_ be if it weren’t for one incredibly large snag.

Hawkmoth, Chat Noir realized with a sinking feeling as Ladybug purified yet another akuma, was not slowing down in the slightest as the years trudged on.  To make matters worse, every single lead that the duo had ever gotten on Hawkmoth had ended in disappointment. Chat had lost count of how many historians, politicians, teachers, and anyone else who had even the slightest modicum of knowledge about the Miraculous they had tracked down. There had been a few who had ended up being more than just somebody with too much understanding of their strange magic jewels and gods inside them, but none of them had amounted to even a hint of a connection to Hawkmoth. The man was a wisp of smoke on a particularly windy day, and it would take more than a healthy dose of Lady Luck to catch him.

Chat wasn’t the only one concerned about the situation. Ladybug was getting older too, and both of them had lives to lead. A change in hairstyles and modifications to their suits over the years was just the beginning of signs that the two were beginning to reach a stage of departure in their lives. The clock was ticking, and it would only be so long before their futures being held indefinitely at the mercy of a megalomaniac in a tacky purple suit would impede on any sort of life they hoped to carve for themselves. Master Fu had hinted that there were other options for them to take should they decide to commit fully to the life of a Miraculous user, but Adrien wasn’t sure he was ready to face that. Somehow, he doubted that Ladybug would be eager to embrace that role as well.

A tap on the shoulder yanked Chat abruptly out of his reverie. A smirking Ladybug was holding out a bottle of water for him, which Chat accepted with a grateful smile and quiet thanks. The two sat together on the Eiffel Tower, admiring a now familiar view in comfortable silence. Another akuma captured and purified, another night that the people could rest easy. _Another night without their foe in pretty matching silver bracelets,_ Chat thought sullenly. _She’s not gonna like this._

“Hey, Ladybug?”

Dark blue eyes met vibrant green, the former filled with curiosity while the latter brimmed with apprehension. “What’s up minou?”

Careful to avoid critical details, Chat slowly began to spell out the situation. “I have… something I have to take care of. An out of town something. London, specifically.”

 _Holding her breath. She’s going to process, then say-_ “Chat, that’s-“

“Dangerous, I know. I wouldn’t be taking the risk if I didn’t absolutely have to.” _And telling Father I have to stay in Paris to run out on daily excursions in a magic leather cat suit to fight magically enhanced villains won’t exactly roll well with him._

Ladybug bit her lip, eyes firmly set on Paris. _The “I’m thinking of a thousand worst case scenarios” look,_ Chat realized. “How long will you be gone?”

“Four days. Maybe less, if things go well.” _If I lose early._

“And there’s no way to get out of it?”

Chat shook his head. “Not without outing my identity, and even that might not help.”

Ladybug nodded. It was a situation she understood, far too well if truth be told. This wasn’t the first time they’d been forced to separate, far from it. The worst was when Ladybug had been the one who had to leave and Hawkmoth had kept up the attacks. Chat had figured out how to trap akuma butterflies in enchanted jars that Fu had helped him make, but the victims and the damage couldn’t be reverted until Ladybug returned. The akumas themselves would fall into a coma shortly after their items were broken, and the city of Paris had designated a hospice for the victims when the eventuality of Ladybug not being present rolled around. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best working system they had. At least when Chat was gone, order could still be restored and the city wouldn’t be in a perpetual state of ruin before he returned.

“I _will_ come back, as soon as I can,” Chat promised. “I wouldn’t leave you to deal with Moth Man on your own.”

Ladybug let out a small chuckle. “I know. I just… I can’t do this without you, y’know? You’re my partner. Having someone to watch my back against the host of craziness _he_ throws our way is….”

“I know,” Chat assured her. “Trust me, I know.”

Ladybug nodded, leaning into Chat. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, taking in the sights and sounds of a Paris at peace while the two found comfort in one of the few positive constants in their lives.

 

* * *

 

The next few days were strangely light on akumas, but the few that did appear were as strong as ever. One burst through during practice, and Adrien watched half his team get turned into stone caricatures of themselves before he was able to break away and transform. Kagami had somehow ended up accosting the akuma with an uncapped saber she had pulled from her gear bag when Chat Noir had gotten to the scene, a sight that had left him baffled and had almost gotten him turned to stone himself. 

Ladybug had teased him endlessly about it the following night, which ended with him pouting until she had decided to scratch a spot under his chin that Chat couldn’t help but purr to. This of course only gave Ladybug more to gloat at, and the night had ended with a good-natured chase through the Paris rooftops. He could still see her glittering blue eyes filled with playfulness as she danced just out of reach. He fell asleep wondering how her lips would feel against his.

The days marched on, and before Adrien knew it, he was packing his bag and double checking he had everything he needed for his tournament. A sharp knock on his door sent Plagg zipping into his jacket as Adrien let out a distracted affirmation to enter. _What does Father want?_

Adrien straightened and turned to look his father in the eye, his hands in his pockets. Gabriel Agreste had hardly aged a day in the past 4 years, a different choice in ties and blazers being the biggest indicator of change. His fading, ashy blonde hair had gotten a little grayer around the roots, but his face remained mostly unlined and bearing the same hardened visage that had been present since Adrien’s mother had died. While they had shared a few moments of warmth, Adrien had never come to expect his father to be any more lenient or affectionate. At least now Adrien was almost tall enough to look him in the eye directly, instead of looking up. _Small miracles,_ Adrien thought.

“Father,” Adrien said, tilting his head. _That might have been a little cold. Ugh, am I turning into Father?_

Gabriel nodded curtly in reply. Adrien tried not to bristle. “I’ve decided to accompany you to London."

Surprise was first, followed quickly by confusion. Adrien covered it with a blink and slight shift in his weight. “Normally you just have Nathalie or Gorilla come with. What’s with the sudden change?”

“I imagine that after you leave this house, you will likely cease with this particular pastime,” Gabriel replied, casting a gaze over Adrien’s carefully maintained armor and various foils. “It… is one of the few things you seemed to show genuine interest in that I also once was involved in. It would seem pertinent to see what will likely be one of your last major events.”

Adrien felt like he had been sucker-punched. He couldn’t remember the last time his father had shown up for any event that he had been forced into, to say this came out of the blue would be putting it lightly. “I wasn’t aware you paid attention to any of… well, this,” Adrien finished awkwardly, gesturing towards his fencing gear.

“You and your achievements have been something I’ve always monitored,” Gabriel replied softly.

Adrien nodded. “R-right. Well. Will you be taking the train with us over?”

“No,” the granite mask slipped back into place; Gabriel Agreste’s emotions quietly shuffled back into place. “I’ll be flying over. I’ll arrive after you do, but I’ll be present for all of your bouts. Nathalie has your itinerary, she’ll forward it to you once I finalize my own schedule.”

“Got it.”

The two Agrestes stood silently, neither sure what to say or how to say it. Finally, Gabriel simply nodded and left.

“That was weird.”

Adrien glanced down at Plagg. “You’re tellin’ me,” he muttered.

 

* * *

 

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve done tournaments before. Doubt this one will throw anything too terrible our way.”

“I _mean_ do you think you’re ready to try for gold?” Kagami pressed. “You keep fidgeting, more than normally. I’d say you’re excited but you’ve got a grimace that would put D’Argencourt to shame.”

Adrien shrugged, adjusting his bag’s straps so it wouldn’t crush Plagg hiding in his inner pocket. “You never know till you get there.”

His team mate frowned. “Usually you’re a bit more _cheery_ about these kinds of things. What’s going on?”

“I’ve just… got responsibilities back here to take care of. Seems kind of selfish to take a trip just to compete in a fencing tournament.”

“Self-improvement is a selfishness that is permissible, I think.”

Adrien quirked an eyebrow. “A tournament is self-improvement?”

Kagami nodded. “You’ll never get better if you don’t push yourself to your limits. Besides, if your life is consumed with responsibility, you’ll just wear yourself out or end up with a little black butterfly on your shoulder.” Kagami gave him a rueful smile at that. “Trust me, I know.”

“Yeah, I think I’d rather avoid ending up in a weird jumpsuit and a maniacal laugh. Besides, you’ve got the corner on fencing akumas. Can’t go and upstage you, can I?”

Kagami punched Adrien lightly. “Don’t be an ass,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Adrien only laughed, the two slipping into easy back and forth chatter. When they weren’t sparring, Adrien found Kagami to be an enjoyable confidante and easy to talk to friend. As far as team mates went, he could do significantly worse. Despite this, Adrien couldn’t help but feel a nagging sense of discomfort. As the train pulled away, he could only hope that Hawkmoth would be merciful during these four days. Despite his assurances to Kagami, the tournament was giving Adrien far more anxiety than any other had previously, and now more than ever he wished he could have a clue to who Hawkmoth was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to bug me on Tumblr @arrogance-is-my-middlename.tumblr.com


	2. Act Normal

“Whoever invented humidity owes me their soul,” Adrien grumbled. “France has the decency to at least be _comfortable_ during the summer.”

“You’re whining,” Kagami chided.

“I’m sweating,” Adrien muttered.

Britain was, suffice it to say, not Adrien’s favorite place. For someone who perpetually liked to wear layers, heavy humidity and high temperatures was a combination made personally to torment him, and Adrien was already looking forward to getting back to France. It certainly didn’t help that he missed Ladybug, or that his anxiety at leaving her without a partner to watch her back was clawing him from the inside out. Even Plagg seemed displeased with the situation, a novelty given that Plagg did his best to act like nothing affected him.

Though, Adrien suspected that it was more than just bad weather and distance from Ladybug’s kwami that was irritating the little god. “Magics don’t mix,” was all Plagg would say on the matter, and pushing any further earned Adrien a resentful call for more camembert. At this point, Adrien wasn’t even surprised; getting such trivialities as clarity from Plagg was about as easy as pulling teeth with nothing but a toothpick.

Kagami, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with excitement. Adrien had always known Kagami to pride herself on her diligence and self-discipline, so to see her smiling brightly and almost _chattering_ was a novel experience.

“You must _really_ like London,” Adrien noted, bemused. “I’ve never seen you this bubbly for anything.”

Kagami blushed ( _That’s new,_ Adrien thought), and averted her gaze. “S-sorry. I just. I get very… elevated when tournaments come around. It’s one of the few things I feel I can excel at without having to think about every detail of what comes next.”

“Don’t be sorry! It’s cool. Seeing a friend excited is a _good thing_ , right? Besides, it’s kind of cool to see a new side of you. And,” Adrien added with a Cheshire grin, “it gives me something to tease you about back home.”

“You have no right to tease me after I watched you almost _drool_ after Ladybug stopped that one akuma from dropping a pillar on your head a year back,” Kagami deadpanned.

“That was one time!” Adrien protested. “And besides, you promised not to bring that up!”

“Did I? Hmm. I seem to struggle recalling that particular vow. It might be easier if you stopped teasing me,” Kagami replied with a ghost of a smirk.

“You’re evil,” Adrien grumbled.

“I’ll be sure to bring you tissues as you sob over it.”

“Rude.”

Their banter was cut short as D’Argencourt stopped the team in front of the hotel they were staying at, pausing to give them a lecture on discipline and representing France well. Adrien mostly tuned it out, covertly nudging Plagg pieces of cheese instead. A quick glance told him that Kagami was doing her best to pretend to listen, but the slight glaze over her eyes indicated that she was lost in her thoughts. Adrien couldn’t blame her, if they let him, D’Argencourt could lecture them for hours about pretty much anything. Useful for making sneaky getaways to transform, less useful when Adrien desperately wanted the creature comfort of air conditioning.

D'Argencourt eventually finished up, deigning to hand out the room keys. Adrien had taken the initiative and paid for a single room for himself under the guise that his father would demand nothing less. Truthfully, Adrien wanted Plagg to be able to have some freedom to fly around on his own, and if he needed to transform, having a room mate would prove disastrous. _Kagami will probably tease me for it, but it’s not like she can talk,_ Adrien thought. Her parents actually _did_ demand she have her room, and as a result had paid extra for a single. They were the only two who were on the same floor in the Hotel, the rest of the team was directly below them. D’Argencourt wasn’t pleased about the state of affairs, but he hadn’t been the one to shell out the money, so in the end he kept his misgivings (mostly) to himself.

“The tournament begins tomorrow, so be up at 9:00 a.m., sharp!” D’Argencourt announced briskly. “The rest of the night is yours, do _not_ wander too far from the Hotel, and do try not to get into trouble. I will not hesitate to send you on the first train back to Paris!”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Plagg muttered from Adrien’s pocket. “Who would want to wander around his dump of a city anyways?”

“I don’t like the weather either, but London isn’t terrible,” Adrien whispered. “Besides, I’m gonna try to study here, remember?”

“And you will owe me more camembert than you could possibly pay for because of it!”

“One day you’re gonna tell me why it is you hate Britain so much.”

“What’s to tell? Bad magic, worse casters, lots of messes we had to clean up. Standard fare. There’s just a lot of it here.”

“Great. Anything else I should know about?”

“Don’t use Cataclysm on the bridges here. Trust me, you won’t like what happens next,” Plagg warned.

“And I’m guessing you won’t tell me _why_?”

“See? You do learn!”

Adrien rolled his eyes and pushed his door open. “Well one of us has to be cooperative.”

 

* * *

**__ **

“You’re really diligent about this kind of thing, huh?”

Adrien grit his teeth, pushing his arm further down his leg slowly. “Stretching… and keeping myself flexible… is kind of… a necessity!” he grunted.

Plagg watched lazily from on top his neatly folded shirts. “The Miraculous gives you extra flexibility, strength, dexterity, the whole package. Why bother with all the extra work? It’s _exhausting_.”

The blonde slowly transitioned into a different position, keeping his breathing even and praying his hair didn’t come loose from the black headband he wore when working out. Sweat in his eyes really broke him out of his focus. “Look… the more I train… the more of a baseline I have… to work with… right?”

“Riiiight….”

“Which means,” Adrien continued between breaths. “I get more… out of… the ring!”

Plagg _hmph’d_ and lazily blinked. “Having a physical body sounds taxing.”

Adrien cast a critical eye on his kwami. “I’ve… given you pets before… you have a physical body too, don’t you?”

“I’m a concept. An aspect given form. I’m bound to the ring, my consciousness is allowed a form, and I can use that to cloak you in power.” Plagg toyed with a piece of camembert, tossing into the air before swallowing it in one impossible bite. “But my body is only held by my will. It’s why I can phase in and out of things.”

Standing up, Adrien worked out the kinks in his shoulders and slowly brought his breathing and heartrate down to normal. “So why not just ditch the body when you’re about to be found out?”

“When bound to the Jewel, kwamis can only leave their bodies to coat the Chosen in their power. If I phased my body out for longer than a few seconds, you’d be forced into a transformation, and that would _really_ leave you hanging.”

Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, you’ve got a point there. How did you end up in the r-”

A soft knock on his door interrupted Adrien’s question. He shot a look at Plagg, who dutifully dove into Adrien’s bag, before he opened the door. Kagami stood in front of him in a simple t-shirt and jeans with a brochure clutched in her hands. To her credit, she didn’t make a comment or even flick her eyes down at Adrien’s shirtless ( _And sweaty,_ Adrien groaned internally) body, instead easily keeping eye contact. He was used to girls his age clearly checking him out, the strange lack of interest reminded Adrien of his makeup artists at shoots. It was comforting to not have to deal with clear, shallow desire from her, but at the same time it was almost disconcerting how easily she ignored his looks. For once, Adrien felt self-conscious about his body.

“I was about to ask if you were free, but I understand if you’re… busy,” Kagami said, mirth sparkling in her eyes.

Adrien blushed, scratching the back of his head nervously. “I was just, erm, stretching. Yoga, flexibility training, that kind of thing. I just finished up actually, I’m free!”

“Flexibility training, of course. Nothing else happening there at all?” Kagami asked, fixing him with a smirk and a mischievous look.

The implication was not lost on the blonde. “I-I swear! Just training. That’s all!” he stammered out, a blush creeping over his cheeks.

Kagami laughed, shaking her head. “You’re way too easy to fluster- “

“Am not!”

“-but I was _about_ to ask if you wanted to come grab some coffee and a bite to eat with me. There’s a few shops down the street, and it doesn’t seem like the best idea to wander into a city I’ve never been into as it’s about to get dark. Besides, you could get out for once.”

The offer was too good to refuse, and it certainly beat spending the night with a snarky Chaos God. “Yeah, I’d love to! Let me shower real quick first though.”

Kagami nodded, waving a hand dismissively. “Go, go, shower. I’ll be in my room. Just drop by when you’re ready.”

Adrien nodded, closing the door. Turning towards Plagg’s hiding spot, he spoke to his kwami again. “You coming with?”

Plagg peaked out. “I hate this city, and I hate the idea of you wandering around it without me even more. I’m coming with. But if there is even _one_ whiff of magic in the air, you’re cataclysm-ing everything in a mile radius.”

Adrien chuckled. “Seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it?”

“No,” Plagg replied curtly.

 

* * *

 

Adrien rushed through his shower and tossed on a simple black t shirt and jeans. An odd sense of trepidation was building in his gut, a feeling he promptly ignored as Kagami opened the door with a small smile.

“Your hair is still wet,” she noted.

“Didn’t want to keep you waiting,” Adrien replied with a toothy grin.

Kagami shook her head in good humored exasperation. “You could have taken the time to blow dry your hair, Adrien.”

“Are my chivalrous efforts not appreciated?” Adrien shot back with mock hurt in his voice.

“ _Chivalry_ is not dripping on the carpet when you go to meet up with a friend.”

“I am not ‘dripping’!”

“You, Adrien Agreste, are dripping water down the back and could use at least one more rush through a towel.”

“Well excuse me for not keeping you waiting.”

“Oh, how very polite,” Kagami replied dryly while Adrien chuckled.

“I really am. Anyways. What’s this place you’re taking us to?”

“I just know it has positive reviews, good coffee, and is generally quiet at night. That’s really about it,” Kagami admitted.

Adrien nodded. “How’s your English?”

“Good. I don’t struggle, unless there’s a lot of slang. Yours?”

Adrien grimaced. “Passable. My Mandarin is much better.”

Kagami gave him a quizzical look. “How are you confident in Chinese but not English? Most schools don’t even offer that as an option.”

“Father had me studying Mandarin around the same time he enrolled me in fencing. I picked it up really quickly, and I’ve kept up with my lessons till now. I only started seriously studying English once Father let me enroll in school a couple years back, so I’ve been playing a lot of catch-up.”

Kagami frowned. “That’s… inefficient.”

“You’re telling me. He’s always been like that, though,” Adrien sighed. “He likes to insist on some really random hobbies and pastimes, and honestly I’ve never understood why.” His thoughts turned towards the Miraculous spellbook Adrien found so many years ago. After eliminating his father as a possibility for Hawkmoth, Ladybug had stopped investigations into he Agreste household, but Adrien had kept a close eye on his father. He had always wondered if he would try to harness the power of the Miraculous, or just magic in general, but his father was either an incredibly good liar or simply had no interest in doing anything more than read and understand the texts. Adrien had toyed with the idea that perhaps his father had intended to pass on the knowledge to him, but over the years, the safe had never come up in conversation ever again. Even Nathalie refused to speak on it, and Gorilla was… well, Gorilla. His mute bodyguard was certainly intelligent, but conversations, especially regarding his father, were impossible to pull from the hulking man.

“Strange or not, it gives you plenty of conversation pieces,” Kagami said with a tug on his sleeve, pulling Adrien towards the shop. “I mean, think about it. You’re a fantastic fencer, you speak three different languages with a decent proficiency, one of which is not all exactly common in France, and your face is plastered inside a hundred magazines and even more billboards.”

Adrien frowned. “I’m not sure that makes me interesting.”

“You’re not a normal person,” Kagami replied. “I have money and a legacy to uphold, but people outside of fencing circles don’t know my name. Other than my money, I could pass for most people on the street. _You_ people everywhere know. You have wholly unique experiences, and, let’s face it, you’re not a dick about it. Face it Adrien Agreste: you’re interesting.”

The two paused to order coffee, giving Adrien time to mull over Kagami’s words before he responded. They took a seat in the back corner of the café, watching the few stragglers of the night pass through. “I think,” Adrien said finally. “you might be a little wrong on that one.”

Kagami tilted her head, indicating for him to continue.

“Well, think about it. I’m forced into these things. None of them _I_ chose. Father did. Modeling, Chinese lessons, fencing, even basketball- all of those he chose for me. You know what I chose? Skateboarding. Video games. I like movies, and sometimes anime. Fencing I enjoy, but I never would have chosen it for myself. Chinese is cool, but I’ve had to use it maybe once or twice outside of my lessons, and it’s not like I have a cultural attachment to it-“

The corners of Kagami’s lips twitched as she tried not to laugh. “Really? You, not Chinese? I had no idea.”

“But you see where I’m going with this,” Adrien insisted. “People see what I do and think that makes me interesting, someone to be a fan of. Man, I just want friends. I’m not popular at school, I’m _famous_. There’s a difference. You have to be a _person_ to be interesting, but how can I be that when I’m not allowed my own agency?”

Kagami nodded, sipping her coffee thoughtfully. “That’s fair. I’m sorry I didn’t think about it from that perspective before.”

Adrien shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I can’t expect you to see every angle.”

“True,” Kagami conceded. “but it’s easy to forget that money and privilege doesn’t always equate a better life.”

Adrien squirmed uncomfortably at that. “I wouldn’t say I have a terrible life. My life is fine. It’s not perfect, but it’s far from _bad_. Mostly I just wish people took me at face value, not for what they’ve been told I am by my father.”

“Would you say that I do that? Or Nino?”

“Obviously,” Adrien replied.

“Then you can at least say you’re interesting and nice to be around on your own merit,” Kagami said with a satisfied smirk.

Adrien chuckled. “Alright, alright. I’ll give you that.”

The two spent the rest of the night chatting aimlessly, drifting away from the heavier topics of family to easier to digest conversation pieces. Fencing, hobbies, their days, it all seemed to slip by so quickly as Adrien let himself fall into easy conversation with Kagami.

 

* * *

 

Elsewhere in the city, Gabriel Agreste arrived at his condo in London where he would be spending his nights when Adrien wasn’t competing. A twinge of regret that this was more than a trip to support his son, but if all went well, this would lead into his victory against Chat Noir and Ladybug. Their conflict had lasted too long already, Adrien had lost the chance to have his mother in his life at an early age. Still, late was better than never, and Gabriel was a very resilient and stubborn man. Even if it took decades, Gabriel would not stop the fight to get his wife back. Accomplishing his goal was all that mattered, no price was too steep for that.

“Why have you summoned me, master?”

Gabriel regarded Nooroo calmly. The years of their unnatural and forced bond had taken their toll on the little god. His high-pitched voice lacked the strength it once had, his eyes had lost the spark of resistance and hope that had once shown so brightly. Gabriel wondered if he would ever pay for this particular sin. “How long before you can summon a second akuma, Nooroo? And what will the toll on my transformation be if I have to maintain two at once?”

“A full 24 hours is the minimum before you can send out another butterfly, master. I must recharge at the very least, but maintaining control and connection to two akuma at once can be difficult. If their will is too strong, you will lose your hold over them and they will run rampant as Robostus did.”

“And removing their power?”

“Assuming they don’t turn on you and strike you down, the akuma’s powers should return to you the second you strip the butterfly from them. The amount of akuma you control has no bearing on this, but keeping track on that many emotions can be difficult.”

“How many could your previous masters maintain?” Gabriel asked. Curiosity was always his fatal flaw, even now the chance to learn more was too tempting for Gabriel to pass up.

“It was dependent on the Master. Some could create only a few, maybe 4 or so, with extreme power to rival the Miraculous. Others could mobilize an army of weaker akuma whose wills were easily bent.”

_And there’s no way to find out for certain what the extent of my abilities are before I try them,_ Gabriel mused. _Two hours by train to get here. If I find a quiet akuma, I might be able to make it a day before the second akuma is found. It’ll take time before Chat Noir and Ladybug arrive given the distance. I might be able to overwhelm them with raw brute strength in a single attempt if I’m careful._ Gabriel allowed himself one glimpse at the picture of his wife he carried before slipping into his transformation. If it meant getting her back, he could accomplish anything.

 

* * *

 

 

Switching off his instinct to keep a wary eye on everyone with a particularly bad attitude was proving harder than Adrien thought. When he was at practice, the team was small enough that Adrien didn’t have to expend that much energy at playing the peace keeper for the sake of keeping akumas at bay, but here at tournament? The task was overwhelming. Historically, Hawkmoth had never made an akuma appear outside of Paris. Adrien knew that the likelihood that Hawkmoth was here in London with him was spectacularly low, and that realistically, he didn’t _need_ to look after the people here. 4 years of habit was a hard thing to break however, and it was costing him.

Victory against opponents that should have been easy were near things, his focus was pulled 30 different directions at once. The stress of habit combined with the high-tension environment of competition was almost certainly causing Adrien to go grey. _Father looks good going grey in h is 50s,_ Adrien mused. _Maybe I will too at 17._

“Hey!”

A hard tap on his shoulder forced Adrien out of his head. “W-wha-? Oh, Kagami, what’s-“

“You’re off,” Kagami interrupted sharply. “You’re off and I have no idea why.”

_Should’ve figured that she would notice._ “It’s really nothing. Just not feeling that great is all.”

“You’ve performed better with a head cold so bad that you couldn’t breathe effectively. If something is going on you can ta-“

“It’s nothing!” Adrien insisted. “I promise. I really just need to-“

Adrien never got to explain what exactly it was he had to do, Kagami’s eyes just widened and without warning she tackled him to the ground. The sounds of a hundred tournament bouts had turned to screams of panic and the _whoosh_ of fencing gear flying through the air. Fear and panic permeated the air, but Adrien couldn’t see a thing past Kagami’s hair and her red shoulder jammed against his face. He didn’t need to _see_ to know what was happening though. Paris in the first year of akuma attacks had reacted the same way. Panic, fear, confusion. London of course never got akuma; Hawkmoth wasn’t here to cause that kind of havoc. But a single look at Kagami’s grim but all-too-calm face told Adrien everything he needed to know before he even turned around.

At the epicenter of all the chaos, laughing in a way that after all this time was almost comical was an akuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to the comments and reblogs I got, your support is the reason this came out today instead of Monday.


	3. A Parisian Supercat in London

“Get to the exit!”

Kagami and Adrien bolted for the doors, pushing past the rush of people and confusion. Some people hadn’t even realized what was happening yet, and the thought of leaving without getting them out of danger twisted his stomach to knots. Logically, he knew he couldn’t afford to jump into heroics without transforming, but it still killed him to do it. The thought of leaving anyone in harm’s way never sat well with him.

Behind them, the akuma roared in rage. “ ** _When I say ‘Halt’, you’re supposed to STOP!!_** ” Adrien didn’t see what he did, but Adrien’s instincts kicked into overdrive. He yanked Kagami through the door just as a brilliant purple light flashed past him, striking someone else. A lavender suit of fencer’s armor spring up around him, stilling his movements and muffling his screams of panic in an instant. _Without Ladybug, who knows he’ll be stuck like that._ Adrien knew that he had no choice; even without Ladybug’s healing spell, he needed to at least put a stop to the akuma and seal the butterfly away.

“We need to get word out to Chat Noir and Ladybug.”

“They’re in _France_ , Adrien. How the hell are they going to help with this?”

“Who else can?!” Adrien countered. “They’re our best chance, unless you’ve got any other heroes on speed dial.”

Kagami bit her lip, barely contained panic all too clear in her eyes. “Dammit. Fine. But what do we do until then?”

“Hope,” Adrien replied grimly. “Get any pictures or videos you can to Alya, once it’s on the _Ladyblog_ , Chat Noir and Ladybug will be on their way.”

“And what will you do?”

“I’m getting a jar. Maybe we can catch the akuma and keep it from multiplying,” Adrien replied grimly.

“Just. Don’t get yourself caught in the crossfire, ok?”

Adrien flashed a cocky grin. “Wouldn’t even think about it!”

Kagami nodded, watching as Adrien sprinted off. Worry for her friend was all but bursting out of her, but she knew that he wouldn’t just sit still and let things happen, which meant she had to take action too. She hated the idea of Adrien getting hurt, but if there was one thing that she knew about Adrien Agreste, it was that once his mind was made up, he would follow it through to the disastrous end.

 

* * *

 

“We can’t mess up,” Plagg warned.

“I know!” Adrien snapped, gritting his teeth as he painstakingly carved in the last of the runes into the jar. _At least Fu taught me this much,_ he thought to himself. “We’ve done this before. Have some faith.”

“This is different!” Plagg argued, his tail swishing back and forth. “London is _different._ You don’t know the streets, and there’s old magic sunk deep into the bones of this place. We set it off, and you’ll be wishing you had left the Akuma to rampage.”

“It would help if you told me _where_ to avoid.”

“Everywhere,” Plagg deadpanned.

“Fantastic,” Adrien grumbled.

Plagg shrugged. “There’s no better way of putting it. This city is entrenched in old magic and spells that are beyond your level. Magic is finnicky at best, you pull at a string and something far away will untangle in a way you’ll never predict. I doubt there’s anyone still alive who even really, _fully,_ understands spellcraft.”

“Guess we’ll just have to wing it and hope then, huh?”

“Normally I would be much more about this but….” Plagg trailed off. Seeing his kwami so worried and hesitant was worrisome, but Adrien couldn’t afford to play it safe and not act. He had a responsibility.

“We’ll be ok, Plagg. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

Plagg looked Adrien dead in the eye, contemplating. A wordless agreement passed between the two of them, and Plagg nodded. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”

“Agreed. Plagg, _Claws Out!”_

 

* * *

 

As a general rule, Marinette kept a running tab on the _Ladyblog_ at all times. Alya’s dedication to akuma watching and news updates were top notch, and despite the security risk, Alya always gave exact locations of sightings just in case it was Ladybug who was looking. It made finding akumas who popped up outside of patrol easy to track down, and despite the hazards, Marinette knew that the resource was invaluable when it came to suppressing akumas as quickly as possible. So when the telltale trill of the site’s notification went up, Marinette wasted no time in calling Tikki over and switching tabs, homework and sewing projects forgotten.

“Looks like we have an akuma,” Marinette sighed. “There goes my hopes of a quiet weekend.”

Tikki frowned. “But where _is_ that? The weather looks all cloudy and grey, but its sunny here.”

“Weather changing akuma? They usually don’t have crazy ranges,” Marinette wondered, scrolling through and looking for location tags before the notification of a live-feed dinged. Marinette clicked on it, watching the grainy feed come through.

The akuma was laughing, flinging strange purple orbs of light at people and freezing people in what looked like fencing suits. People were screaming and running, and it was impossible to get any sort of clear idea of the streets or building landmarks from the shakiness and low quality. A terrible, dreadful feeling began to click in the back of Marinette’s head as dots slowly began to connect. “Alya isn’t filming,” Marinette breathed to herself. “She’s _never_ this shaky.”

A man was yelling in English in the background, screaming at his family to run before he was consumed in a flash of violet light and left a frozen suit of armor instead. Someone ran at the akuma with what looked like a metal pipe, but the metal simple bent over the akuma’s form, and with a gleeful laugh, the akuma whirled and struck the civilian, their body flying backwards and becoming and entrenched in the fencing armor as they struck a building.

“Everyone in Paris knows that attacking an akuma is pointless,” Marinette whispered in horror.

“Then we need to transform!” Tikki exclaimed, tugging at her Chosen’s coat. “Marinette, we need to move!”

The young seamstress merely turned to her kwami. “Tikki, _listen._ Nobody in _Paris_ would attack an akuma. The weather is wrong. The buildings don’t look familiar. People are yelling in _English._ ”

Tikki’s eyes widened. “The video isn’t being taken in France,” she said softly. “But then, where is it?”

The all too familiar sound of a metal pole hitting pavement and a battle cry that Marinette had learned to welcome sounded from the computer. As Chat Noir’s familiar leather-clad form popped on screen, swinging viciously at the akuma with a glass jar tied to his hip.

“London,” Marinette replied grimly. The transit between Paris and London was doable, a few hours realistically. But getting past her parents, disappearing for that long, and then getting back before anyone noticed? Nearly impossible. London was only a few hours away, but as Marinette watched her Chaton battle an akuma on his own, the distance seemed insurmountable.

 

* * *

 

“Fancy meeting you here!” Chat Noir said with his characteristic smirk, standing between a bewildered Kagami and the snarling akuma. _You really should be booking it,_ he thought, shoving the panic in his chest down. _This wasn’t the plan! Stop filming and get out of h-_

Chat’s thoughts were interrupted by the purple energy the akuma flung around flying straight at his face. Instincts completely took over, and Chat whirled, swinging his baton at the ball of energy, sending it careening into the side of a building where it exploded and fizzled away.

“Hey man, I’m just trying to enjoy the sights and sounds! No need for all the aggression!” he quipped.

The akuma lowered a sizzling hand, sizing up the lone hero. Chat wondered if the sight looked a little ridiculous to any passerby, one figure dressed in tight fitting black leather with a tail and cat ears, while the other was in a tacky green blazer and yellow pants with a domino mask and swept back black hair. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Chat’s eyes narrowed. “Neither are you. How did Hawkmoth get an akuma across this much distance?”

The purple butterfly symbol flared to life around the akuma’s eyes. “Tell me how you got here so fast!” Hawkmoth snarled through his puppet.

“Trade secret,” Chat replied blithely. “Cat can’t be let out of the bag _this_ early, can it?”

The symbol faded away. “Regardless, without Ladybug you _will_ fall.”

“Doubt it!” Chat cheerfully answered.

He lunged at the akuma with all the speed he could muster, sweeping his baton out as he lengthened it to its staff length. The akuma jumped over the attack, bringing his hand up to blast Chat, but years of combat and hero work had taught him well. Chat anchored his staff in the ground, using it as a high jump pole and flinging himself feet first at the akuma, crashing into his enhanced foe and knocking them both out of the air. Chat landed gracefully, tucking into a roll and springing towards the akuma as his staff shortened into baton length. _Close combat is the weak point here. There’s a charge up time between blasts, and the ball only launches laterally and can be deflected. Overwhelm and find the totem, that’s how I win!_

The akuma shook himself loose from the rubble, barely dodging Chat’s baton and backpedaling quickly. “I’ll admit,” the akuma gasped between blows. “You’re quite good! But I’m afraid I _also_ have a trick to play!”

Chat ducked under a wild blast, sweeping the akuma’s legs and slamming him firmly into the ground. “And what’s that?” Chat asked with a smirk, keeping his baton planted on the akuma’s chest.

The akuma smiled. “I’m out of time!” A digital timer flashed in the air above the akuma’s chest, blinking “0:00” in bright blue text before the akuma dissolved into black dust.

Chat blinked and poked at the area where the akuma had been, bewildered.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but normally you don’t cause akumas to dissolve.”

Chat turned towards the voice, sighing. “Kagami. Most people start running in the opposite direction when I get the akuma’s attention of them.”

“Luckily for you, I’m a capable enough not to run away in a blind panic. You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Excuse me?”

“The one posting videos and pictures? That was me. I’m guessing that’s how you got here so quickly. Doubt you have the layout of London memorized.”

“Being smug is a lot more fun when it’s _me_ doing it.”

Kagami, despite herself, chuckled.

 

* * *

 

Chat Noir worked with the London police to gather up the frozen civilians. Because the akuma had not been successfully destroyed, nobody was freed, but thankfully the akuma didn’t attack during the clean up effort. Ladybug was nowhere to be seen, and Chat’s worry that she hadn’t left yet were only confirmed when she called him through their weapons later in the night and he saw Paris’s skyline behind her.

“Chat,” she breathed in relief. “You’re alright!”

Chat winked. “Safe and sound, milady. Almost had things wrapped up without you.”

Ladybug’s lips quirked into a small smile. “You did good. I saw the videos. What happened at the end?”

“I’m honestly not sure. He said his time was up, and then just sorta… disappeared. It was like he wasn’t actually there at all, just an imitation.”

“And no totem?”

“No totem,” Chat confirmed with a grim nod. “I’m honestly not sure what to make of it.”

“You think there’s two akumas at play?”

“If there is, neither of them have made any noise since earlier. I could really use your help in this right about now,” Chat admitted.

Ladybug’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Chat. Paris and London are both under lockdown. The announcement just went live a few minutes ago, it’s why I called.”

_Oh. Oh shit._ “What caused that?”

“The akuma. Hawkmoth has _never_ gone international before. France thinks Hawkmoth is still in Paris, and one of the akumas might be too. They think he’s testing his range and powers. The fact that you’re there at all is a miracle to the officials, but nobody wants me to leave in case it leaves Paris vulnerable. Even if I could, getting away from my civilian life for that long would be…” Ladybug hesitated. “difficult,” she finished quietly.

Chat gulped, keeping his voice steady as the reality of the situation set in. “And London?”

“Under lockdown. No travel or immigration in or out. If Hawkmoth is in London, they don’t want him leaving. They think they can track him down, capture him, put a permanent end to all of this.”

“Including you?”

“Including me,” Ladybug confirmed. “If they’re wrong about his location, they want to be able to rely on me. France is worried about letting me go in the first place, and the Mayor is pressuring me to reveal my identity to make working with me easier. Obviously I _won’t_ , but how much I can do is limited.”

“So I’m on my own?” Chat asked, trying to ignore how dry his mouth suddenly was.

“I’m sorry, minou. I couldn’t get to you soon enough and now-”

“It’s not your fault,” Chat interrupted. “It wasn’t your decision. I’ll see what I can do on my end, you see what you can do on yours.”

 

* * *

 

Gabriel flexed his fingers with a small frown. “My power felt… odd.”

“Working with two akuma can do that,” Nooroo replied quietly.

“No, it wasn’t that,” Gabriel replied absentmindedly. “It was something _else_. A static at the edge of my mind, a separate power from the Miraculous. Some other spell perhaps. London has such a rich history, it’s not out of the question that some previous power could be left over, or another, current magic altogether….”

Nooroo let his master ramble. The truth was all too apparent to the kwami, the little god could feel it in every fiber of his being. The magic was old and rich here, using something like the Butterfly Miraculous here was bound to interact with it. Nooroo only hoped it would backfire, break the connection between Gabriel and the Miraculous. If it worked, Hawkmoth would end and Nooroo would be free. All he could do in the meantime, however, was wait. Nooroo was very good at waiting. Of all the kwami, he was by far the most patient. He would let Gabriel continue to wonder and push forward with his reckless use of akuma. Nooroo knew that here, such thoughtlessness would only punish his master. One need only wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I changed the title of the fic. Sorry about that, I know it's frustrating. Mostly I just realized that I couldn't realistically keep calling the fic by it's old name given that it simply wasn't appropriate, and it was a placeholder name anyways. The plot has been worked over and slightly restructured, and I'm much more confident in this story now that I've gone over it and fine tuned what I wanted. Updates should be more regular. Again, I do apologize for the inconsistencies.
> 
> As always, my tumblr is available to talk to @arrogance-is-my-middlename.tumblr.com


	4. Things to Do During Military Lockdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a while. Sorry 'bout that!

“We’re stuck here.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“The tournament is cancelled.”

“For obvious reasons.”

“Yes, but what do we do?”

Kagami sighed and set down her book, leveling a withering look at a sprawled-out Adrien. Part of her was amused that he had deigned to flop on her bed and was looking at her upside down, part of her was frustrated that he wouldn’t leave her well enough alone to enjoy her book. All of her had accepted that a quiet night of reading was simply not an option. “Well you can go explore the city-”

“-On my own? That’s begging for trouble-”

“You could train, the tournament ended prematurely, but everyone needs more practice-”

“-Training on my own won’t really help, also sounds kinda tedious right now-”

“You could browse the internet. Really Adrien, the world is your oyster, crack it open and demand something of it.”

Adrien looked her dead in the eye. “I am. That’s why I’m here. Oyster, cracked. I’m asking it to get Kagami to come do something with me.”

“I don’t remember you ever being this _bratty_ before,” Kagami said with an exasperated sigh.

Adrien pouted. “I’m not bratty! I’m just _bored._ There is a very big difference! One is obnoxious, the other is obnoxious and fixable.”

“Let me guess, the one that’s fixable _isn’t_ being a brat?”

Adrien flashed her a mischievous grin and winked. “I dunno, you tell me.”

Despite rolling her eyes, Kagami stood up and stretched. _He’s irritatingly cute when he pulls this,_ Kagami thought to herself. “Fine. What would you like _us_ to do?”

Her blonde companion grinned and sprung from her bed with energy she never quite understood how he produced. “Let’s go out!”

“I suggested that!” Kagami protested.

“You suggested that _I_ do that,” Adrien corrected. “It’s so much more interesting when you have someone to share the experience with.”

“And that ‘begging for trouble bit’?”

“It’s safer to travel unfamiliar territory in a group!”

“You’re ridiculous. Whatever. Go on, shoo.”

“You said you would participate!” Adrien protested.

Kagami gestured at herself. “Yes, but I didn’t say I would do it looking like I crawled out of bed. Running shorts and an old tank top do _not_ work as proper public clothes.”

“Oh. That’s fair.”

“Exactly. Now get out of here so I can change. I have no intention of stripping in front of you. Just because you pose half naked for the masses doesn’t mean I will.”

“Sure you wouldn’t enjoy that kind of thing? I dunno Kagami, with looks like these I would underst-“

Kagami didn’t let him finish, instead shoving him out the door with a barely concealed smile. “Dork,” she muttered fondly. _Irritating as he is, can’t help but enjoy it. Maybe I’m just a very closeted masochist,_ she mused.

 

* * *

 

Despite being under complete lockdown, London was innocuously… normal. Kagami found herself wondering if the city was actually taking its newfound akuma problem all that seriously at all when so little had visibly changed. To her surprise, Adrien merely shrugged at the suggestion.

“Hawkmoth feeds off negative emotions, right? Sadness, anxiety, fear, anger, depression. Make a city feel like it’s under martial law, you’re giving him more power. Locking down the city is already a dangerous move, but sorta necessary to contain the threat. If I were in charge, I would want the citizens to feel as normal as possible so that we weren’t making whatever Hawkmoth is trying to do any easier.”

Kagami frowned. “I get the idea but… I don’t know. Seems a little lax.”

“You don’t have to _see_ a thing for it to be effective.” Adrien pointed out. “Chat Noir and Ladybug are most effective when nobody notices their presence at all, or the akuma. It means they acted quickly and took care of the problem. I’m guessing whoever is in charge is trying to imitate that sort of effect.”

“Do you think it will work? Especially given that Chat Noir is somehow inexplicably _here_ , but Ladybug is by all accounts forced to stay in Paris.”

Kagami watched Adrien chew on his lip. There was a look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place, a sort of worry that went beyond the passive bystander. If she didn’t know better, she would say he was addressing the problem as if he was directly involved. “Chat Noir has handled akumas on his own before. In theory, given the proper support, he should be able to handle this.”

“Are you worried?”

“I think you’d have to be pretty dumb not to be at least a little concerned.”

“Fair enough,” Kagami conceded. “Sorry, you wanted to go out and have fun, but here I am bringing down the mood.”

Adrien waved her off with an easy smile. “Don’t worry about it. Talking about this is pretty natural, I think. At least you’re not throwing around crazy conspiracy theories and pointing fingers in random directions with accusations at whoever happens to be standing there.”

Kagami giggled. “I could put on my tin foil hat and change that.”

“I think we can pass on that. Tin foil hats have never been fashionable,” Adrien chuckled.

“I think you might be able to pull it off Mr. Model,” she teased.

“Don’t give my father any ideas,” Adrien mock-threatened. “He might actually do it.”

“It would either tank your career or make your crazy fans even weirder.”

“They’re not _that_ bad….”

“Adrien.” Kagami leveled an exasperated look his way. “There are people who literally imitate every detail of your appearance and keep cardboard cut outs of you in their room. It’s kind of strange.”

Adrien shrugged. “As long as they aren’t harming anyone, I don’t care. Though, it would be nice to just be able to walk around.”

“Like now?”

“Like now.”

“That reminds me actually….”

Adrien quirked an eyebrow. “What’s up?”

Kagami fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable. This conversation topic was always touchy at best, but she had already gone too far. _Can’t back out now I suppose,_ she thought to herself. “You mentioned your father was coming to see the tournament. I didn’t really see him, and you haven’t talked to him much while here, have you?”

Adrien’s expression darkened, and he shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he looked away. “No, we haven’t really talked. He sort of… disappeared. Nathalie doesn’t answer my texts with anything helpful, and Gorilla was never one to _talk_ , even over the phone.”

Kagami winced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-“

“Don’t worry about it,” Adrien interjected. He flashed her a smile, but it was too forced. Kagami knew Adrien well enough to tell when he was lying. He was always so kind about it, but she always saw through it.

Kagami reached out, placing a firm hand on Adrien’s shoulder. His smile gave way to a look of genuine surprise and slight confusion. Kagami looked at him head on, forcing eye contact. “You don’t have to hide what you’re feeling around me, ok? We’re friends. We’ve been friends since I got akumatized 3 years ago. I trust you. You can trust me too.”

Adrien’s eyes softened, giving way to a genuine smile. It was sad and relieved all at once, but above all it was warm and _real_. “Thank you, Kagami. I _do_ trust you, it’s just… my problems don’t need to be yours.”

“Friends help each other with their problems. Look, I’m not good at this either,” Kagami admitted. “but I still want to help.”

Adrien spent a long moment carefully examining her eyes, looking for something deep in them. Kagami felt like he was carefully paging through her intentions, looking deep at her heart. Whatever he found, he seemed satisfied because he simply nodded and gave her a hug. Almost despite herself, Kagami couldn’t help but revel in how warm Adrien felt. She didn’t want to puzzle through her emotions or what they meant, but she knew that Adrien was willing to open up to her, and for the moment that would be enough.

 

* * *

 

Elsewhere in the city, three figures met under the pale moonlight on a desolate rooftop.

“Hawkmoth,” said one. “A pleasure to finally meet.”

Hawkmoth merely inclined his head in greeting, hands resting diligently upon his cane. The third figure leaned against a doorway, fiddling with a small watch. “Why did you call us out like this?” she asked. Her tone was clipped, professional, and to the point. No words were embellished, and Hawkmoth doubted that they ever would be.

“We have an unexpected problem, and a unique opportunity,” the Butterfly Chosen replied.

“Chat Noir?” asked the first figure.

“Chat Noir,” Hawkmoth confirmed with a curt nod. “His Miraculous has always been an end goal of mine. I did not plan on retrieving it here, but we cannot forgo the small… miracles.”

“How should we handle him?” the third figure asked.

“Judgement and his powers have already been shown. He can openly move and attack without revealing more than we have already shown. _You_ on the other hand have yet to be seen. For as long as possible, we need to keep it that way.”

“The Black Cat saw some of my ability used already,” the third figure said. “Judgement’s time line disappeared before his very eyes.”

“I doubt he understood what was happening,” the first figure, the akuma Judgement, replied dismissively. “He has never been the most intuitive of heroes, from what Hawkmoth has told us. Besides, he didn’t see enough of your power in action to have any sort of a good guess.”

“His success is not coincidence or power alone. He clearly has some talent and skill,” the third figure countered. “Taking him lightly will not end well for us.”

“Enough.” Hawkmoth’s command was quiet, but absolute. The other two fell silent instantly, turning their attention to him without question. “Chat Noir’s destructive power far outclasses anything we could individually create. Together, we easily counter him so long as we play to his weaknesses. Chat Noir is headstrong, reckless, and his tactical planning leave much to be desired compared to his partner’s. Overwhelm these areas, and he will fall. Ladybug normally makes up what he lacks in droves, but without her, he is woefully unprepared for a direct assault of this magnitude.”

“What are you suggesting?” the third figured asked.

Hawkmoth smiled. “He knows nothing of how your powers work. We’ll use that against him.”

 

* * *

 

The next day, London was hit with a substantial thunderstorm that left its residents scurrying for cover. Plagg, naturally, hated it.

“Rain here is cold, slick, and uncomfortable. I refuse to go out in such conditions!”

“We need to patrol and try to coordinate with the British law enforcement to take out these akumas,” Adrien chided patiently.

“Your armor will get wet!” Plagg whined. “It’ll be hard to move around or see, and it’s windy enough to mess with how you move in the air!”

“Yeah, well I doubt the akumas are going to take any kind of _rain check_.”

“They should,” Plagg grumbled.

“Plagg. C’mon. I would really rather not force you.”

Plagg cast a withering glare at his Chosen. “You’re the worst.”

“We have a duty, Plagg.”

The kwami muttered something about where Adrien could shove his duty but complied regardless. The blonde smiled, giving Plagg a small scratch behind the ears. The little god kept pouting, but he gave a reluctant purr under Adrien’s touch. 3 years had taught Adrien how to win Plagg back over, much to his kwami’s chagrin. As the transformation slipped over him, Adrien was just glad his kwami’s emotions didn’t have any bearing on his transformation.

 _This rain really is terrible,_ Chat Noir thought with a grimace, letting the fat cold droplets slide off his hand. _Plagg might just have a point._ His sense of responsibility wouldn’t let him take the day however. Chat had promised to meet up with the authorities and try and arrange some sort of team up. His plan was to convince them to let Ladybug come into the city given that her powers of restoration would be enough to put down the akuma problem with little ease. Ladybug had said that there was concern that Hawkmoth was still in Paris and he was testing the limits of his range, but Chat had a different theory altogether.

Hawkmoth sending out two akuma at once was an unprecedented event, but it was the only way the akuma could display two very different powers and Chat suspected that London was the target given its relative proximity to Paris so 1) Ladybug and Chat wouldn’t be able to react quickly but Hawkmoth was still able to get to it easily and 2) it would give Hawkmoth the time and space he needed to test out the limits of what he could do without losing the experiment to a battle with the two super heroes. Chat Noir being in town was an unlucky coincidence, and now the situation had escalated. _The trouble is the second akuma hasn’t shown up at all, but clearly they’re in contact with the first one. Taking out one is pointless, if I don’t flush out the other one._ No matter how Chat rolled the problem around in his head, he was at a loss for what to do. The original akuma wasn’t altogether powerful enough to pose a threat, but the second one was enough support to be troublesome, and he had no idea what either of their totems could be, or even what one of the akumas looked like. 3 days had passed without a whisper from either, and that troubled Chat even further.

Akuma, by their very nature, were filled with emotional turmoil and were impulsive in their drive to achieve whatever goal they had. This kind of patience and planning was entirely new, and Chat had the sinking suspicion that Hawkmoth had a much more direct hand in this than normal. The thought of facing his nemesis alone made Chat incredibly uneasy. He wasn’t sure he could win a direct fight, not without knowing all of Hawkmoth’s abilities, but losing would be detrimental to Ladybug.

Chat stopped swinging his way through the rooftops for a moment to survey the area and take a breath. The torrential downpour really did make it harder to see and get a good grip on anything, and the rain was starting to chill him. London was still fairly unfamiliar to him, and he still had some time before he was expected to meet up with the authorities. He was starting to wish he had just listened to Plagg and postponed when his sixth sense, honed by the Miraculous and 3 years of almost daily combat kicked in.

Without looking, Chat flipped away just in time to dodge a blast of purple energy that shattered the chimney he was standing on.

“Hello _Chat Noir_! Are you ready for your Judgement?”

 _Do the akuma ever stop being so cheesy?_ He quietly lamented. Casting a gaze up at the akuma, Chat whipped out his baton, settling into a defensive stance. “It’s been a while! Thought you had forgotten about me and how I beat you last time!” Chat goaded.

The akuma sneered. “Judgement is never defeated, only postponed. I’ll offer you a single chance to yield, Hawkmoth is willing to let you walk away if you give up your Miraculous. You cannot win this, Chat Noir. You’re outnumbered. Let’s make this painless, shall we?”

Chat propelled himself forward, ferociously swinging his baton at the akuma. Judgement cursed and scrambled away, eyes narrowed. “All you akuma think you’ve got me beat, but not once have you put me and Ladybug down. Just try it, you and Hawkmoth will end up like all the rest!” the Miraculous user challenged.

Judgement’s grin turned sinister. “So be it, Black Cat. Just remember, I warned you!” The akuma snapped his fingers, and copies of himself began to emerge from various hiding places. Chat narrowed his eyes. _This is the other akuma. Judgement only has the power to seal people in armor. Is the one in front of me the real one? If I take him out, does it matter?_

Chat didn’t have time to keep considering the possibilities as all the clones attacked in unison. Chat struck out on instinct, ramming his pole into the chest of one and slamming it into another. Both clones burst into clouds of the same black dust as the first time Chat had taken out Judgement. _They take a lot less damage than the first one. Looks like quantity takes away from quality._

Standing still and defending his ground wasn’t an option, as even though they were all clones, all of them had Judgement’s sealing powers. Chat careened through his crowd of foes, launching himself to the rooftops and quickly destroying the two that chased him. The rain was slick and dense, making it difficult to make out his targets effectively or gain any sort of footing. Fighting on the streets would be easier, but there were too many civilians that wouldn’t be saved by Ladybug’s charm. It wasn’t a risk he couldn’t effectively take.

A blast of purple tipped him off, Chat flipping around and striking the orb of energy back at its sender. The clone and the orb exploded in a burst of magenta flames that flickered into the ashes each clone always burst into. Using that attack them was intensely satisfying, but more to the point, it was _effective._ It let Chat fight at any range, giving him a more stable footing against the sheer numbers. He still needed a place to stand and fight. Being surrounded simply wasn’t an option, moving and fighting in the rain was a terrible idea just waiting to get worse, and a wall wouldn’t work, not when both he and akuma could clear skyscrapers in a few short bounds. He needed something more like…

_The Thames! They can’t walk on water, it’ll keep me from watching my back!_

Chat struck a few more of the clones out of existence, brushing his rain-soaked hair from his eyes. His GPS cheerily marked the best route to the Thames, and once again Chat was propelling himself through the city rooftops. He ignored the jeers and taunts from the villain and his clones, focusing entirely on making sure that the civilians who would gather and film the spectacle didn’t get hurt. As much as he enjoyed showing off for crowds, Chat’s normally devil-may-care attitude simply wasn’t there without Ladybug to ease his worries.

Chat landed heavily on an overlook of the Thames, taking a moment to catch his breath. There was a strange tingle on the back of his neck, like static electricity was gathering around him. Chat cast a nervous look towards the sky. The flashes of lightning were few and far between, but he wondered if perhaps he was about to get struck. _Of all the ways to be taken out…_ he thought to himself with a nervous chuckle.

The splash of multiple feet landing in a rain puddle told Chat his small rest was over.

“Finished running?” the akuma sneered.

“Ladybug taught me that sometimes the most important thing to a fight is making the set up,” Chat replied, turning slowly. His staff was slung across his shoulders, hands lazily resting on the smooth silver surface. The tingling feeling was only getting worse, changing from static electricity to feeling like razor wire was scrapping lightly over the back of his neck. _What the hell is going on?_

“You are outnumbered, and far outplayed. You will lose here, Chat Noir.”

“If you’re so confident, why not bring the real you out to play?” Chat jeered in reply, twisting his lips into a smirk. “What’s wrong, all bite and no bark?”

One of the many Judgements stepped forward, smiling. “But I am here, Chat. The hand of Justice needs no proxy!”

“Neat!” Chat replied, suddenly extending his baton to cross the distance and slamming the end of it into he akuma’s gut. Chat wrenched the extended pole right, dragging the akuma through his clones and disintegrating a few on the way. The main body who claimed to be the original stayed whole. _Guess he was telling the truth_.

The akuma recovered, planting his feet in the pavement and growling, trying to wrench Chat by his pole. The Black Cat released the baton, flipping over the akuma and landing on his clones, feeling them turn to dust beneath his heel. Judgement growled and dropped the now almost 14 foot pole, whirling on Chat.

“No weapon, how will you fight no-” Judgement’s taunt was interrupted by a vicious kick to the face. Chat turned on the clones, eliminating them easily in a series of quick jabs, kicks, and throws.

“My suit has claws for a reason, yknow?” he said with a smirk. “And your clones are starting to thin out. What’s wrong, thought you were gonna bring Judgement down on my head?”

“Damn you!” the akuma snarled, launching himself and his remaining clones at Chat.

 _Don’t overthink it, make it efficient. He still has numbers on you,_ Chat thought to himself. _Each clone is weak, easily done in a hit or two. Don’t panic, you can do this!_

Thoughts, sounds, and the cold of the rain all faded away as Chat let himself slip fully into the fight. A clone swiped at his head, Chat ducked and clawed right through him, launching out a blind kick where his instincts told him another clone would be. Another clone wrenched on Chat’s left arm, flinging him against the railing. The hero’s breath was wrenched from his lungs, and for a few panic-induced seconds Chat Noir could not breathe. His vision fragmented, focusing only on the incoming blows and how to counter- _claw-kick-punch-flip-claw-duck-block-strike_ \- but at the back of his mind he registered the steady decrease in clones.

It was not without a price.

At some point, Chat had picked his baton back up, but now he was leaning on it to stay upright. Fighting on his own against so large a number was exhausting, and even though there was only the main Judgement and a single clone left, the akuma looked as fresh as he had begun.

“You should’ve surrendered, Chat Noir.”

Chat grimaced, pushing himself up and gripping his baton in both hands. “Sorry, that’s just not in my playbook.”

Judgement sighed, waving his hand forward. “Have it your way.”

The final clone charged Chat Noir down, and for a moment time seemed to slow down. Chat knew every way to handle his attacker, but in his tired state he chose the path of least resistance. He ducked under the clone’s hasty swipe for his ring, planting the staff directly into the clone’s stomach, and extended his weapon. The clone was launched into the open air above the river, and suddenly everything _snapped_. The strange tingling feeling Chat had been feeling the entire time went haywire, and the clone screamed and disintegrated into ash and digital numbers that rapidly oscillated before shattering entirely. In the back of his head, a woman’s scream echoed loud enough to make his ears feel like they were ready to bleed, and Chat _felt_ Plagg screaming in pain from within the Miraculous.

Judgement’s form flickered as he clenched his skull, Hawkmoth’s symbol flaring to life before sizzling away, and the last thing Chat Noir saw before darkness overtook him was Judgement fleeing into the rainy London sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I really appreciate the continued support and comments anyone leaves. I promise the other Akuma's power will be explained, and her name will be given. She's important, so I'm not about to go ignoring her.


	5. Harm and Hazard (Magical or Otherwise)

The first thing Adrien felt was the chill touch of rain gently sliding down his face. The second thing was the uncomfortable soaking wet nature of his shirt, and that’s how he knew his transformation had somehow dropped. _That’s a problem._

With a grunt of pain, Adrien pushed himself to his hands and knees, shaking his head as if that would somehow help the ringing in his ears. Adrien cast a look around, assessing his situation. The grass closest to the river was scorched and shriveled, several benches had been turned to dilapidated scraps of smoking wood, and the concrete sported several new cracks and holes. _What was all that?_ He wondered to himself. The magic that held the clone together hadn’t just come undone or timed out, it had flat out been destroyed. Even Cataclysm was seldom so violent when it countered spells, but Adrien couldn’t puzzle out what had caused such a reaction. _I didn’t activate my powers, and he didn’t even touch the water when the spell broke. Something else had to have caused it._

The rustling of wet fabric yanked Adrien out of his thoughts. “Plagg!”

The kwami rose out of his Chosen’s shirt pocket, shivering and wincing in pain. “Glad to see we both made it,” Plagg replied. “You ok? I lost grip over my connection with you when the blast hit us.”

“I can stand and walk around, so I’d say I’m good enough,” the blonde said dismissively. “What about you? What happened? I’ve never seen you lose the suit before, what-“

Plagg raised a paw, one of his ears tilted up and back. “I’ll answer when we get back. You hear that?”

Adrien frowned at the interruption, but fell silent and listened. Even through the sound of incessant downpour and his still ringing ears, Adrien heard the noise he had trained himself to always be wary of outside of his suit. “Sirens,” he muttered.

Plagg nodded. “We can’t be seen here. Get us back to the hotel, once you clean up we can talk.”

“Clean up? I can’t be _that_ bad.”

 

* * *

 

“Oh.”

Back in the safety of his hotel, Adrien fully assessed the damage he had sustained without Plagg’s protection. A myriad of cuts and bruises littered his chest and arms, the worst of which was a mottled yellow and purple bruise that stretched from his floating ribs down to his left hip. Nothing was broken thankfully, but without adrenaline and concern for his kwami pumping through him, Adrien could very clearly feel his body’s damage. What concerned him most of all was the trail of dried blood that flowed from his jaw to his right ear. _That would explain the ringing,_ he thought grimly. _Maybe Ladybug can fix this whenever I get back._

“How you feeling?”

Adrien looked at his kwami in the mirror. Worry was painted clearly all over Plagg’s face, and his tail twitching like that had long since taught Adrien that it meant his kwami was angry.

“Bruised, but nothing major. It’ll heal fine, and shouldn’t get in the way if I fight anytime soon.”

“And your ear?”

Adrien raised a hand, snapping next to his injured ear and winced. “Functional but… It’s like listening through a blanket. Not sure if the damage is permanent.”

“With magic in play, it’s hard to predict. I’ll adjust the suit to compensate for it when you transform next.”

“How did this even happen? When the clone went over I _heard_ you. And a woman too. The screaming was what hurt most. The explosion left bruises, but your screams came before the suit dropped.”

Plagg nodded. “A combination of the spell snapping and warring with the enchantment on the Thames broke through the armor’s defenses and attacked the nearest source of magic.”

“You?”

“Me,” Plagg affirmed with a small nod. “It was too much, and I wasn’t expecting it. When the defenses dropped, all the force that hit me turned on you. The explosion plus the Thames reflexively attacking? Bad mix.”

“But that doesn’t explain anything! Why would a _river_ attack?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? Stay away from the rivers. London is _full_ of old magic, most of England in general is stuffed with old spells and enchantments that have long since outgrown their original constraints and exist as wild spells lashing at any sort of stimulus. A clone created of pure magic, even Miraculous, would be more than enough to set it off. I’m surprised it didn’t act sooner.”

“But why the river specifically?” Adrien asked.

“It’s an old trick that was popular with mages a few centuries back. Spells need energy to power them. The Miraculous is fueled by kwami and our powers over our specific Aspects. Mages don’t have the benefits of Aspect Gods bound to jewels, so they need something continuous. A river doesn’t stop flowing normally, so it’s a steady source of energy that could power a spell indefinitely. Whoever cast it clearly didn’t think very far ahead though, because now the spell will just react violently with anything that has a trace of magic in it.”

“So if I cast Cataclysm over the Thames, it’ll just be a volatile mess?”

Plagg shrugged. “Maybe. It’s hard to tell, I wasn’t there when the spell was cast, I can just feel the lingering effects of the magic. If you want to play it safe, stay away from the river. Even a bridge is risky, a strong enough stimulus could trigger a reaction. Even I don’t know what would happen.”

“And the armor won’t protect me?”

“I can try, but there’s no guarantee I can withstand the full might of whatever the Thames has while I’m bound to the ring.”

“Then that’s tomorrow’s problem,” Adrien said with a grunt. “Hawkmoth isn’t dumb enough to test another fight after watching one of his akuma nearly get blown up. In the meantime, let’s get you some cheese and a new towel. I gotta get this blood off me.”

 

**_ Line Break _ **

**__ **

“Nooroo… what was that?”

“A backfire, Master.”

“But from what? Chat Noir did not use Cataclysm, and the time clone was just that- a clone. He had no magic of any note active on his person. How could such a reaction happen?”

“I’m not sure, Master,” Nooroo lied.

“The river was likely the catalyst,” Gabriel muttered. “You can feel the magic in this city, can’t you? If even I can sense it while transformed, then you likely feel it clearly.”

“Yes, Master,” Nooroo answered hesitantly. _Where is he going with this?_

“And the Black Cat kwami, would you say he could feel this as well?”

“…Almost certainly.”

“Then the Thames will be a point of concern. I doubt they’ll want to fight so close to the river at this point. That can be used.”

“What are you proposing, Master?” _You should be concerned over the Thames too. The akuma was nearly caught up in that blast, who knows what would’ve happened if it rebound over your connection with it?_

“I’m proposing we set the battle field. The next battle will be the last if I can manipulate Chat into position.”

“And if it goes poorly?”

Gabriel paused, considering his next words carefully. “If the akuma, or Chat Noir, dies, it is no concern of mine. So long as I possess the ring, nothing else matters. I will use all tools at my disposal. You should rest, Nooroo. When you recover, we will begin preparations. I need you at full strength to bring the akuma back under my control.”

“Yes, Master.”

 

* * *

 

A sharp knock on his door was all the warning Adrien had to yank on a shirt before Kagami walked into his room, laptop in hand. Her eyes narrowed slightly as Adrien’s shirt fell into place, zeroing in on his side.

_Shit. Did she see?_ Adrien coughed awkwardly. “K-kagami! A little warning would be nice next time.”

Slowly she dragged her eyes from Adrien’s now covered midsection up to meet his eyes. “It’s fair play, Agreste. You don’t give me any warning, now you know what it’s like.”

“Fair enough,” Adrien conceded with a laugh. “I’ll be more mindful next time.”

“No, you won’t,” Kagami replied with a small smile, sitting next to him. “But that’s besides the point. Where were you yesterday? I tried your room, but it was locked and you didn’t answer your phone.

“Ah… it died while I was out getting coffee. When the fight between Chat Noir and the akuma broke out, I couldn’t navigate around it without Google Maps. I stayed put until the all clear was sounded.”

Kagami sighed. “You really should get this city’s layout at least somewhat memorized. At least the transit system! How long has it been? Over a week and you still need a map?”

“I’m directionally challenged!” he protested.

“You’re a mess.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Adrien replied with a roll of his eyes. “What’s with the laptop?”

“Somebody caught video of the fight yesterday, and there’s something I want you to see.”

Adrien felt his entire body go tense, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Plagg peak out. _We don’t know what’s on the video. Keep calm, Agreste. Don’t react._ “I hear some pretty crazy stuff went down.”

“That’s an understatement. Look.”

Kagami hit play. The video was shaky, taken off a phone. The rain made it hard to tell specific details, but the cameraman was across the river taking shelter under an umbrella. Adrien could see himself as Chat Noir lose his baton, then go on the offensive against the akuma and his clones.

“Watch the river on this next part.”

Adrien nodded, narrowing his eyes as he watched Chat Noir throw the clone into the river. As the clone sailed out over the open water, he watched as the river bulged and reached out to the clone. A thin crack of what looked like lightning reached out from the waves and connected with the clone, causing the explosion followed by a secondary wave of blue and green energy that was strong enough to knock the phone out of the owner’s hands. When the video refocused, bolts of magic and electricity arced along the surface of the water, and in the distance, Chat Noir’s suit was smoking and slowly disintegrating. The video cut after a long string of curses from the cameraman as the magic appeared to tamper with the camera.

“Everyone’s phones and electronics apparently were fried for a few hours after that. I’m amazed we got even that much from so close,” Kagami said softly.

_That’s definitive proof that it’s the river that caused that. I should count my lucky stars that the magic caused the phone to go haywire before much more was seen._

“Is the cameraman ok?”

“Yes, apparently he’s in for questioning with the police right now. Everyone is pretty confused, and nobody has seen Chat Noir since. There’s a few rumors that he died in the blast, but no body was found so nothing official has been released.”

“What do you think?” Adrien asked.

Kagami shrugged. “I think we have people throwing magic around like it’s nothing and that someone who can bring down a building with a touch probably survived whatever _that_ was.”

Adrien nodded. “Fair. Either way, let’s stay away from rivers for a bit, yeah?”

Kagami laughed. “What, don’t want to swim in exploding rivers?”

“It’s not exactly item number 1 on my bucket list.”

Kagami hummed in agreement, closing her laptop. “Well, either way. All this excitement is making me antsy. C’mon, D’Argencourt said the gym we had for the tournament is open for practice so long as we’re back before 8.”

“What, you wanna have a practice match? Now?” Adrien asked incredulously.

“Backing down from a challenge, Agreste? Guess that means it’s an automatic victory…”

“I never said I was backing down!” Adrien protested, narrowing his eyes. “Just didn’t want to embarrass you since you’re so out of practice.”

“Like you’ve been keeping up with your training!” Kagami shot back.

“Wanna bet?”

“Accepting my challenge?”

Adrien smirked. “Seeya in 15.”

 

* * *

 

“You sure this is a good idea?” Plagg asked from within Adrien’s gear bag.

“I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve had less than a day to recover. Those aren’t serious injuries, but they’re not doing you any favors either.”

“And like I said, I’ll be _fine,”_ Adrien insisted. “Besides, a little extra training can’t hurt, right?”

Plagg grumbled something under his breath that Adrien elected to ignore, yanking on his helmet instead and standing to look at Kagami in her signature red fencing gear.

“Going by honor rule or just till whoever is put off balance first?” he asked.

“Whichever way you want to lose is fine by me,” Kagami replied confidently, settling into her stance.

Adrien rolled his shoulders, slowly settling into a stance of his own. “Off balanced then.”

“You’re on,” she replied.

That was the only warning he had that the match was on. Kagami lunged at him viciously, aiming straight for his midsection. Adrien hastily parried, wincing as his injured side protested in pain against the sudden movement. _Plagg might have had a point._

There was no time to think on that now, Kagami was relentless. If Adrien’s parry deterred her at all, she didn’t show it, switching into a different strike almost instantly, this time for his head. Adrien swept the blade away at the last moment, bringing his epee down on her mask. Kagami leapt away, raising her guard and assessing Adrien. _No breaks now, Kagami,_ Adrien thought to himself, his competitive streak widening. _Break past her guard, get into a closer range. She likes distance, don’t give it to her._

This was much easier said than done.

Kagami was a vicious fighter who had a singular aggressiveness that even Adrien struggled to match. Push her into a corner, and that mean streak just got worse. Adrien used his slightly longer reach to force her to move in closer, then immediately closed the distance to put her in close quarters. Kagami was slippery, sliding past his guard and matching him strike for strike. Every blow Adrien landed was returned in full by Kagami, and she had a knack of figuring out where Adrien was weakest. Every blow to his left side left him gritting his teeth and pushing through the pain, but she was beginning to realize he winced away from that. It only drove her to target his weakness more. Adrien’s troubles were far from finished however. His left side was left weak, but his right here hadn’t recovered much if _any_ of his hearing, leaving Adrien just the slightest bit off balance and stumbling through footwork that needed to be flawless if he wanted to beat Kagami. As is, Adrien was struggling just to match her.

In the end, the fight finished every bit as quickly as it started. Kagami forced Adrien to cover his weaker left, whipping around to push at him from his right. Adrien’s balance was too far gone with his injuries, and almost lazily Kagami swiped at his head, tipping Adrien’s equilibrium off balance and ending with Adrien on the ground, epee in his face.

“Yield?”

Adrien sighed, pushing the blade away with a finger. “Yeah, I yield.”

Kagami tugged her helmet off, hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. For a moment, Adrien and Kagami regarded each other. Kagami, with a strange look as if she was on the verge of saying something but couldn’t quite do it, Adrien with a tired frustration as he realized that he wasn’t anywhere close to top form.

“You need to keep up with your practice,” Kagami said finally, offering a hand.

Adrien smiled, taking her hand and standing. “Yeah, probably. Can’t practice without a partner though, can I?”

Kagami sniffed. “I manage just fine.”

“You’re you. I always work better in groups.”

“Yes. I suppose _you_ of all people would,” Kagami replied softly. Adrien shot her a quizzical look, unsure of what she meant. If Kagami caught it, she didn’t let on.

 

* * *

 

“So tell me something.”

“Hm?”

“Do you make a habit of walking around without clothes, is that a model thing? Or do you just wait for me to knock before throwing clothes on?”

Adrien snorted and set his coffee down. After a quick shower, they had decided to go out for to the café they had learned to frequent to pass the night away. Adrien was frankly surprised Kagami had suggested it, her introverted nature usually meant she was cutting things short; now it seemed like she was intentionally keeping him in her company. Truthfully, Adrien was glad for the change of pace. “For your information, I spend most of my time clothed. I think you just time it so you can catch me shirtless.”

Kagami quirked an eyebrow as she smiled over the rim of her cup. “Trying to imply some sort of alternative motive for me?”

“I’m _way_ past implying. Callin’ you out for your crimes, Kagami!” Adrien accused with a mock jab of his finger.

“You have no proof of such injustice,” Kagami replied with a bemused smirk.

“So why do you keep walking in on me?” Adrien challenged.

“I think your ego is getting to you, Agreste,” she shot back, sticking her tongue out at Adrien.

“The court doubts your sincerity.”

“The court is full of shit and probably paid off.”

“Personally, I feel pretty insulted you think I’d sink to such lows.”

“I’ll try not to cry too hard over your feelings on the matter,” Kagami deadpanned.

Adrien chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “Seriously though, I really don’t walk around nude or whatever. I don’t even do swimsuit shoots! You just have a knack for catching me off guard.”

Kagami hummed. “Either way. You need to take a little bit better care.”

“How do you mean?”

“You’re not the most cautious. It shows.”

_This conversation is getting weird._ “Do I need to be?”

Kagami took a breath, considering her next words carefully. “Unfamiliar city, akuma problems that are potentially worse than in Paris, and you’re… off your game,” she finished awkwardly.

Adrien gave her a small smile. “It’s not like I’m caught up in all that. We just happen to be here for all this craziness.”

Kagami frowned. “Sure, I guess, but you’ve always had a terrible knack of being in the worst place for an akuma attack, and Ladybug’s magic fix-it-all macguffin is very far away.”

Adrien outright laughed at that. “Really? _That’s_ what it is?”

“Would you rather deux ex machina? She has a get out of jail card for _death_ ,” Kagami replied. “It’s a little ridiculous.”

“Not about to say no to it though. She is on our side after all.”

Kagami hummed again, absentmindedly swirling her tea. “Still. Just be careful, ok? You’re more breakable than the akuma, and I would hate to see that proven.”

_Where is all this coming from?_ Adrien wondered. Kagami was always clever, but her intuition and attention to detail was on par with Alya’s. Difference was, Kagami was turning all of that to Adrien, and the stakes were much higher when he was out of costume. Plagg had once predicted Kagami could figure out his secret if Adrien wasn’t careful, and now he was beginning to wonder just how accurate that prediction actually was. The idea that she was close to figuring things out was uncomfortable enough. With this timing? It was one more thing on the already heaping list of problems on Adrien’s plate. _I might need to follow her advice,_ Adrien thought to himself. _Maybe it isn’t Hawkmoth I need to be careful of._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this took too long to get out, especially given its short length. Shoutouts to the comments, kudos, and bookmarks. Y'all are giving me the drive to actually finish this driveling mess.


	6. Falling Into Place

“That was certainly… problematic.”

“Oh, is _that_ what you’d call it?!” hissed Judgement. “Yes, problematic is by and far the _best_ way to describe that! Not ‘near-fatal’, not ‘soul-wrenchingly painful’, no _problematic_ is definitely what I’d call that entire _fucking_ mess of an operation!”

Hawkmoth turned a cool gaze on his akuma, flexing his powers ever so slightly. A ripple of purple and black magic bubbled on the surface of Judgement’s skin, the charm, a crisp white glove on his right hand, started to smoke. “Be very careful how you speak to me,” Hawkmoth said quietly. “Don’t ever forget that it is not Chat Noir who you must fear, but _me._ ”

Judgement grit his teeth but kept quiet. Rage and pride practically boiled off the akuma, but the Butterfly and its Gifts were Hawkmoth’s to control. No amount of power could change that.

“He is right, though.”

Hawkmoth turned towards his second akuma. “In what ways?”

“It hurt. Whatever happened to that Timeline rebounded back to me. I could feel your Butterfly straining not to be outright destroyed. It certainly wasn’t pleasant.”

“Your pain is of no concern to me. I only care for the results.”

“If we are destroyed from whatever that _thing_ was, you’ll be out two akuma and possibly injured yourself!” the akuma shot back.

“If you stay _quiet_ I might just tell you how to avoid that particular outcome!” Hawkmoth snapped. _Their emotions are growing stronger. Keeping akuma possessed through negative emotions this long is proving troublesome, especially with two. I might end up losing them regardless just for convenience sake._

“So you know what caused my Timeline to be torn apart like that?” Judgement interjected. “How?”

“I do my research,” Hawkmoth replied. “London is woven over with old magic. The river appears to be a continuous source of energy for some of the older spells and possesses enchantments of its own. When the magic of my akumatized butterflies came in contact with the Thames, the reaction was naturally volatile.”

“It would’ve been prudent to inform us of such hazards _before_ we engaged Chat Noir on the riverbank.”

Hawkmoth sighed. “Before yesterday, I had only theories of what would happen. This was one of many possible outcomes. Now we know what _will_ happen, and we can use that to our advantage.”

“You’re proposing we try and get the river to attack Chat Noir?”

“The power of Cataclysm is potent. It would be such a shame if Chat Noir were to use it on a bridge he was standing on, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m not strong enough to lure him to what is obviously a trap. Even Timelines wouldn’t be enough to overwhelm Chat Noir. Too many at play and he’ll swat them away as if they were mere nuisances,” Judgement grumbled. “Like it or not, Chat Noir has the advantage in a direct head to head fight with me.”

“On your own with _only_ Timelines, yes the plan would be a failure in the making. But if _both_ of you were in play in addition to Timelines being on the battlefield, well…”

“Chat Noir would be overwhelmed if we could put his back to the river,” the other akuma realized, her voice trailing off as she began to process Hawkmoth’s plan.

“It’s incredibly risky. If we aren’t fast enough, both of us will be caught in the blowback,” Judgement warned.

“Then I suggest you move quickly,” Hawkmoth said with a cruel smile.

“And the boy? Even if he falls in with the Ring, he will still almost certainly die. You’ll lose both him and his Miraculous.”

“The Miraculous is too powerful an artifact to be destroyed by something so simple as a magical explosion. Fetching it, even from his corpse, will be a simple enough task.”

“You’re willing to kill him then?” the female akuma asked.

Hawkmoth gave her a sidelong look. “His life was forfeit when he refused to submit to my first demands. He wants to play hero, let him die a hero’s death.”

 

* * *

 

“How are you feeling?”

Adrien winced as he eased out of the stretch. The ringing in his right ear was easier to ignore, but his lack of balance was harder to overcome. “Better. The bruising is still there, but it’s getting easier to move and go through my routine stretches.”

“You’re lucky I’m bonded to you,” the kwami muttered from atop his nest of towels and camembert tins. “The Miraculous speeds up your body’s healing. Without it, you would still be limping around.”

Adrien nodded. “The suit will help make up for my injuries. I should be able to get through the next few fights relatively easy if I don’t make any stupid mistakes. Judgement can’t beat me one on one, our next fight should wrap it up.”

“There’s still the other akuma,” Plagg warned.

“ _If_ there’s another akuma. We haven’t seen anything other than Judgement and his clones. With Judgement out of commission, the second akuma- again, if it exists- will be forced out. Hawkmoth can’t shove out akumas rapid fire after one gets taken out or captured.” _Or at least, he hasn’t been able to up till now. If there’s two at play, he might have other powers up his sleeve he hasn’t used before._

“And if the akuma hides and waits for Hawkmoth to recharge and set up another? It’ll be Judgement and his clones all over again, what then?” he pressed.

Adrien didn’t have an answer for that. “If that’s the case, we’ll face it when the time comes. Maybe we can get Ladybug in play then, I don’t know. For now, we need to focus on the immediate threat that we _can_ see.”

Plagg glared off into the distance. “Not allowing her to cross to Britain for this is idiotic, plain and simple.”

“What, don’t trust me to handle this?” Adrien teased, trying to get his partner to lighten up.

“This isn’t like the other times,” Plagg insisted. “We’re outnumbered and now you’re injured.”

Adrien hummed, crossing his arms. “We might not be outnumbered.”

“You’re _really_ insisting there isn’t a second a-”

“Not _that,_ ” Adrien interjected. “I mean I’m not on my own here.”

Plagg paused. “ _That_ breaks your promise with Ladybug _and_ Fu.”

“Neither of whom are here,” Adrien pointed out. “plus, her line of questioning is getting pretty… specific. She’s noticing my absences, she’s _definitely_ taken note of my injuries, and Kagami is smart enough to realize it’s a pretty big coincidence that Chat Noir just so _happens_ to be in London immediately after the akuma shows up even though Ladybug is quarantined in Paris.”

“You’re banking on her being smart enough to get over the Glamour the Miraculous casts on people,” Plagg argued, floating up to Adrien. “Even if she is and you can claim she figured it out on her own, she’s a normal person. Talented fencer or not, a fencing foil won’t do much against an akuma.”

“Ladybug and I have used the help of civilians before. Kagami can help from the background, setting up traps, keeping watch while I focus on the akuma in front of me, give me distractions if I need a fast exit-”

“Are you willing to put her in that kind of danger?”

Adrien hesitated. “She’s already putting herself in danger. My first fight with Judgement, remember it was Kagami who led me to him. I don’t want to put her on the front lines, but I’m running out of options. An ally and a second set of eyes could be a lot more helpful than a reckless civilian who is already starting to see the cracks in my stories.”

“This is a surefire way to lose Ladybug’s trust, Adrien. The stakes are already high enough here, if we act recklessly….”

“I know. But I’m running out of ideas, Plagg. She _will_ figure it out. You heard her yesterday. She seemed concerned, as if she thought I was off facing the akuma myself.”

“And maybe she’s just a concerned friend, worried about you when you’re in the middle of a city you don’t know that’s currently a battleground of forces that she doesn’t understand. You could be reading too deep into this.”

“And If I am?” Adrien snapped. “It’s been two days since Judgement’s last attack. It won’t be long before he resurfaces, and I need all the help I can get.”

“Then try to get the British officials to help!”

“Do you trust them not to try and take the Miraculous or hunt for my identity the second I do? What if they try and take lethal action against the akuma? The city is under military _lockdown_ , working with them has too much risk for the akuma victims.”

Plagg growled in frustration, his tail lashing back and forth. “Not yet, Adrien.”

Adrien narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on, Plagg? You’ve never been this cautious before. When Gorzilla threw me off the building, you told me to transform. There were plenty of witnesses and _Ladybug_ watching. What makes this any different?”

Plagg whirled on his Chosen, ears flattened against his head. “ _That_ was very different. _You_ protect the people, but _I_ protect _you._ Your life was at risk, if it had gotten much further I would have forced the transformation. This is different. You can beat Judgement, we know that. The second akuma so far has only been effective as an assistant to Judgement, and an unseen one at that. Revealing your identity at this stage has just as much risk and very little pay off!” he hissed.

“Having help that won’t stab me in the back might be what I need to end this fight,” Adrien insisted stubbornly.

“And it _will_ put a huge divide between you, Ladybug, and Fu, even if she _is_ able to help.”

Adrien and Plagg stared each other down unblinking for several long seconds. Finally, Adrien sighed, shoulders slumping as he collapsed into a chair. “Fine. But if things get worse? I’m taking the risk.”

Plagg nodded. _If things get worse, we need to get out of here and get Ladybug’s help. A prolonged fight with two akumas won’t end well, no matter how many friends know your secret,_ Plagg thought to himself. He could only hope that just once, the Kwami of Misfortune didn’t live up to his name.

 

* * *

 

“This is a terrible idea,” Judgement grumbled.

“Super powered and still pouting,” the second akuma mused. “Hardly fitting for us.” _Not that I can entirely disagree with your assessment_.

“Chat Noir is mobile. He likes to throw his opponents around. Forgive me if I don’t like that combined with the world’s angriest river.”

“Stay calm, stick to the plan, and we will take victory.”

“You’ve never faced him head on. You have no idea what Chat Noir is like in a brawl.”

“Nor will I _need_ to know,” the second akuma sighed. “this is a trap, not a barfight. Once he’s over the river, numbers and timing will overwhelm him.”

Judgement cast a wary eye at his partner in crime. “Your Timelines are fragile. Send in too many and he’ll bat them away like flies.”

“They’re only fragile when I expand on too many Threads. If I keep to the closest Timelines, ones that mimic our own, their strength will keep them persisting until we win.”

“If you say so.”

His partner quirked an eyebrow. “You seem like you have something else to say.”

“Just don’t trust Hawkmoth’s plan. We don’t even know this will work. Hell, I don’t even know your name.”

“If not knowing my _name_ is really an issue for you, you could have asked,” the akuma replied.

Judgement rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

“Then speak clearly next time, or not at all.”

Judgement grunted, drilling his fingertips on the metal of the bridge they sat above. Out of the light and in the dead of night, none of the civilians had noticed the latest of Hawkmoth’s lackeys. It would have been peaceful if they couldn’t feel the magic of the Thames tugging at the back of their minds, aggressive and wild.

“Think we’re really gonna have to kill the kid?” Judgement asked quietly.

The other akuma chewed her lip in thought before shrugging. “He’ll die quickly if he’s lucky.”

“Seems a little harsh just so we can take his magic trinket.”

The akuma held up her watch. “And what would you call this?” she asked. “Or your glove? This is all fueled by ‘magic trinkets’.”

“That were supposed to help us fulfill something!” Judgement retorted. “I was supposed to reign absolute Judgement in my matches. Hawkmoth pulled me away to chase after some kid’s ring instead.”

“That was the condition of our deals,” the second akuma reminded him. “We help him, we get what we want and the power to keep things the way we like them.”

“I didn’t sign up to risk my neck like this.”

She didn’t have a reply for Judgement, nor did she have the patience to field his disgruntled behavior. _Let’s just start already. He’s getting on my nerves. Hawkmoth give us our signal already!_

“Hey.”

“What?” she snapped, glaring at Judgement.

“What _is_ your name?”

For a moment the akuma stared at Judgement in confusion and irritation before huffing and leaning back. “I didn’t have time to get one. Hawkmoth sent me out to make a Timeline of you immediately; we didn’t strike a name.”

“Well I need to call you _something_.”

The nameless akuma pursed her lips, wracking her brain for possibilities before finally settling on the first thing that didn’t sound completely ridiculous. “Call me The Watcher. Seems appropriate enough, doesn’t it?”

Judgement snorted. “Pretty on the nose. You watch timelines, you watch me, now you’re gonna watch Chat Noir get thrown into a river.”

“I thought it was clever,” Watcher said with a contemptuous sniff.

“That’s one word for it…”

“Shut up.”  


* * *

 

“They’re starting to gain their emotions and identities back.”

“I’m well aware of what _they_ are doing!” Gabriel spat, leaning back in his chair. Sweat beaded over his cheeks and he could feel every joint in his body ache.

“It means you’re timing out, Master. Keep transforming back and forth without releasing their Butterflies and you’ll lose them if you’re lucky. If you’re not, you’ll-”

“I _know_ , Nooroo!” Gabriel snapped, whirling on his kwami. Nooroo didn’t even blink. “I am _this_ close to a victory, I know my limits and what can happen if I go past them! I am well within my capabilities, _thank you,_ now be quiet and let me rest!”

“Yes, Master,” Nooroo replied softly, floating back to his place on Gabriel’s shelf. His Master slumped off to his kitchen, angry but too tired to do anything about it. _If Gabriel wants this victory he must release these akuma and create new ones. It will take time, but these ones will almost certainly fail._ Nooroo could still feel the akuma through his connection to the Butterflies, even when Gabriel wasn’t transformed. The akuma were weakening, and Gabriel’s strength was waning by keeping them active this long. The man would die before too long if he didn’t realize his own limits. Nooroo wasn’t sure if that made him glad or not.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be longer but frankly it doesn't flow well if I jump right into the next bit. Honestly I doubt any of you are gonna see what comes next, even I think it's a bit strange and maybe a bit of a stretch. Oh well, this fic was just an excuse for the upcoming scenario anyways. I already have my third ML fic in the works, but that'll not be posted till this one finishes up, I promise. I apologize for the inconsistent writing schedule and blatantly lazy writing, this one just... doesn't have my passion and drive behind it.


	7. Best Laid Plans

_How many times has victory come so tantalizingly close? How many times will it comes again?_ Hawkmoth’s head

swirled with doubts as he steadily made his way across the dilapidated remains of the bridge that his akuma had so loyally fought Chat Noir upon. The air sizzled with spent magic, Cataclysm’s distinct flair of destruction and the River’s might had left their scars upon London, and as Hawkmoth cast his eyes up, his own power spiraled ominously in front of him. The tug of his akumas lingered, but they didn’t matter now. Hawkmoth had more important matters to attend to, namely the still form of Chat Noir in front of him. His ring glittered in the fading light of twilight, and again Hawkmoth’s thoughts raced.

_I’m so close now…_

 

* * *

 

**18 Hours Earlier**

“How’s your ear?”

Adrien frowned and snapped his fingers next to his damaged right ear a few times, then his left. “Still pretty bad. I can hear out of it, but a lot of it is just ringing or… muted, I guess.” The website detailed signs of deafness and tinnitus had told him to expect as much, but reading over the article again didn’t help the swirling nervousness that had set up shop in his heart.

Plagg’s face had concern written all over it. 2 days had passed since the disastrous fight at the river, but even with the faster healing granted by the Miraculous, Adrien was far from recovered. His bruises had faded somewhat, but the one that sat upon his ribs hinted at deeper injuries and his right ear hadn’t recovered much of its hearing. Adrien was slower and off balance because of it, and Kagami had noticed the discrepancies both times she had asked him to a quick match; as a result, she had gotten better and better at sticking to his side. Privacy with his kwami was getting harder to come by, but Adrien didn’t mind terribly. Her constant presence eased some of the pressure he felt from the growing threat of the akuma, even when she asked strange, out of place questions. Her efforts to try and pin him in a way that outed his identity were more amusing than anything; Adrien had long since gotten used to and quite proficient at lying and half-truths. Plagg still insisted that they keep up the secrecy, at least until he could discuss the matter with Fu and Ladybug. Adrien didn’t see much point in hiding what was already apparent to the other party involved, but for the sake of Plagg’s stress, he agreed.

A soft knock on his door sent Plagg darting into Adrien’s jacket. _Speak of the devil, huh?_

“What’s up?” Adrien called, not even bothering to turn towards the door as he closed down his laptop. That knock, those footsteps, Adrien had learned the little nuances that separated Kagami from everyone else quickly.

“Did you hear the news?” she responded.

“No, but I’m guessing you’re gonna tell me anyways,” Adrien replied with a coy smile, spinning in his chair to face his friend.

“Mmh. After all, I’d imagine you also want to go home.”

“Well yeah, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“France has been negotiating for our release,” Kagami explained. “Hawkmoth and his akumas have only ever happened in Paris, so the British officials reasoned out that Hawkmoth himself is likely French or at least a Parisian citizen. It’s why we haven’t been allowed to go home.”

Adrien frowned. “So, what changed their mind?”

“Our parents, namely. They’ve been pretty vocal about getting those of us who made it through the attacks home instead of holding us in a magic war zone. They’re going to put us through a few background checks and an interrogation. Those who pass can go home apparently.”

“How did you hear about this?”

Kagami waved her phone. “Mom called me to let me know what to expect. Apparently, they’ll be conducting the ‘interviews’ tomorrow.” Adrien kept his emotions firmly under check at the mention of their parents. _Father hasn’t contacted me once during this entire mess, and he’s supposed to be here._

Adrien plastered a smile to his face. _Giving me a hell of a timeframe for this, aren’t they?_ “One more day, then we get to go home then. At least, you and I will. I don’t think either of us fit the bill for ‘Hawkmoth’, yknow? No maniacal laughs, a distinct lack of purple, no butterflies, the list goes on,” Adrien joked.

“Actually…” Kagami suddenly looked uncomfortable. “That’s why I’m here.”

“What do you mean?”

Kagami fixed him with a hard stare, unblinking and intimidating. “Adrien, no matter how you cut it, you’re suspicious. You disappear during akuma attacks, nobody can account for your whereabouts both during and after most attacks, and any alibi you have can’t be backed up by the rest of the team because none of us _know._ ”

Adrien shrugged. _That’ll be more to my benefit. If I’m forced out of the country, I can’t come back and fight Hawkmoth. Plagg thinks telling Kagami my identity is a problem, but Chat Noir disappearing when we do will just tighten the noose._ “Then you guys go home and I don’t. No offense or anything, but I’ve got the money to be comfortable here until all this blows over.”

“Money won’t help in prison, Adrien.”

That got his attention. “ _What?_ ”

“Think about it! They’re looking for _suspicious_ Parisian natives who have no reliable alibi during akuma attacks. When one pops up, and yours _will_ , do you really think they’ll let you walk around freely? That’s a huge security risk if they so much as suspect that you’re even connected to Hawkmoth. They’ll put you in a cell and accuse you of aiding and abetting a terrorist, if not actually being a terrorist outright.”

 _And Cataclysming my way out will just make my situation worse._ Adrien took a long slow breath. “So, you’re here to warn me?”

“I’m here to _help_.”

“Kagami-”

“Look, _I_ know that you’re not Hawkmoth, I can help you make an alibi that will get you through the check. Our stories will match up at the very least, and-”

“ _Kagami_ ,” Adrien interrupted firmly. “This is _way_ too risky for my sake. If they ever find out you’re lying, it won’t just be me under suspicion. Lying under suspicion of terrorism is a big deal, even France won’t be eager to defend us if that comes up.”

“So what would you rather have us do? Nothing? And let you get imprisoned? That isn’t _fair_ Adrien!” Kagami snapped. She began to pace back and forth, frustration rolling off her in waves as she glared at Adrien. “Everyone who knows you would happily defend you, why can’t you just accept my help?”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but this kind of thing is beyond just a little favor!” Adrien protested, springing to his feet. “How would _you_ feel if the situation were reversed? Could you just let me risk my neck like that?”

Kagami surged forward, eyes narrowed and lips pressed together in a firm line. “ _Don’t._ What I would or wouldn’t do is _meaningless_.” Adrien was suddenly intimately aware of just how _intense_ Kagami could make her presence despite her small stature, and he found himself struggling to find words as she forged ahead. “I am your _friend,_ you prideful idiot. I _will_ help you get home because that is what friends _do_ , and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it! You deserve to go home and be safe as much as the rest of us. Just because your father doesn’t want to acknowledge the situation doesn’t mean I _won’t._ Understand?”

Adrien couldn’t find a way to protest, not with Kagami so _close_ and aggressively determined to get her way. Instead, he merely nodded.

Kagami huffed, stepping back and smoothing out her shirt. “Good. Now you… stay here. I need to go grab my things. We’re planning this until it works, even if it takes all night. Got it?”

“I just-” Adrien began, but Kagami cut him off with another glare.

“This isn’t up for debate, Agreste.”

Adrien sighed, putting his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright, I got it. I’ll be waiting.”

Kagami nodded tersely, walking out of his room stiffly. Plagg floated into view as the door quietly clicked shut behind her.

“…Y’know, I kind of like her,” his kwami noted absentmindedly.

“Yeah, me too.”

Plagg laughed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Adrien frowned, wishing he had worded that a little better, but he decided to shelve the topic and the weird twist in his gut that thinking about Kagami in _that_ sense always brought. “If we’re gonna do this, we need to take care of the akuma quickly. Tonight, even.”

Plagg shook his head. “Leave now, and Kagami might just skin you alive. Plus, it’ll pretty much give away any impression of a secret you were trying to keep with her before. If you get back to Paris, you can get backup from Ladybug and Fu.”

“Backup is only good if we can get _back,”_ Adrien argued.

Plagg shrugged. “That’s tomorrow’s problem. We get out of here, we can raise the odds in our favor and figure out the rest later. That’s a win in my book.”

“Leaving the city in Hawkmoth’s hands like that is just….” Adrien trailed off, glancing out the hotel window. “We can’t just _do_ that, Plagg. It’s wrong. It’s against our duty.”

“If it means getting you out alive, then I’d say it’s worth it.”

“You can’t weigh my life against the people here like that.”

Plagg fixed his Chosen with an unblinking gaze. “Yes, Adrien, I can.”

 

**2 Hours Earlier**

The day is nothing special. London is cold, rainy, and grey, and realistically there is nothing that separates the city of today from the city of yesterday. Apprehension ripples through the air, fear taints the water, _emotion_ coats the very brick and mortar that holds the buildings together so thickly Gabriel feels like he could swim in it. Each touch of fear and anger is a small nudge away from a full blown akuma, and for a small moment he hesitates and considers the wisdom of adding a third variable into the mix. He is tired, his powers are stretched as thin as he can make them go, but he knows he has the strength to do it if he really pushes. The numbers, the strength, the magic, they will _surely_ push Chat Noir over the invisible edge of defeat…

But Gabriel chooses not to do it.

Upon introspection, he will tell himself that the decision was made out of rationality. The strain on his powers could break the Akuma spells he already has in place, his exhaustion might weaken his underlings, they are simply unnecessary, the excuses go on and on; but in that moment Gabriel does something he so rarely allows: _he acts on instinct._ Gabriel Agreste stills his hand on nothing more than a whim, but the city is still so very tense. The day is indistinguishable from the previous day, yet today will be historic.

 

* * *

 

Adrien can feel the apprehension curling in his gut, but Kagami is determined. They spent the better part of the night brainstorming his story, his _lie_ that will take him home safe to Paris and Ladybug. On a surface level, Adrien understands fully that it’s the _smart_ move. It preserves his identity, it allows him to meet with Ladybug after far too long apart, and it keeps him alive. Rationalizing the decision doesn’t quiet the voice in the back of his voice that whispers _coward_. Plagg’s insistence, Kagami’s determination, these things drive Adrien’s decisions, but in his heart, he knows he needs to stay. It goes against everything he knows to leave, but as he pulls together his few belongings in preparation to travel to the checkpoint, Adrien can see few alternatives, and none that leave his identity in question to anyone. To take action would betray himself and Ladybug, but to leave would be to betray the innocent people he was sworn to protect. Adrien wasn’t sure which was worse.

 

**45 Minutes Earlier**

The short bus ride to the checkpoint is filled with nervous chatter. The fencing team is full of relief to go home and anxiety that the akuma will come out at any moment. It’s impossible to notice the clear absences from their number, the unfortunate few who were caught in the akuma’s first attack. The guilt gnawing at Adrien only gets worse at the thought, but Kagami won’t let him dwell on it. Her insistent whispering pulls at his attention, made worse by the attention she demands from him.

“You remember the plan?”

Adrien nods, making a small hum of affirmation.

“And the written copies we made?” she presses. “The idea drafts we had and our final copy?”

“Destroyed,” Adrien promises. Eaten by Plagg to be precise. The Kwami had thought it wise to leave no physical evidence of any plans, and burning papers was too big of a fire hazard. Plagg had complained that the paper tasted too _industrial_ after that, demanding a slice of camembert as reward. How he managed to be a continuous brat at a time like this was beyond Adrien’s understanding, but it had been one of the few things that actually brought a smile to the youngest Agreste’s face. He wondered if perhaps Plagg knew that when he munched down on Kagami’s carefully thought out treason.

Kagami herself showed little hesitation the entire time, quickly shooting down any of Adrien’s protests. She had made sure he knew the story they had crafted forward and backward, and then she had made them practice. Kagami’s attempt to impersonate an intimidating guard came off as 2 parts adorable and 1 part ridiculous, resulting in Adrien losing his cool and chuckling at her attempts every time. At first, his partner seemed frustrated, but the night had ended with both of them laughing and sprawled out on the floor. It had been a strange moment of levity, but neither could forget the seriousness of the situation at hand. Perhaps that had been what distracted them both from just how close they had been laying next to each other.

The approaching checkpoint was impossible to miss. Soldiers and police lined the road, civilians were being gently herded away from the street, and D’argencourt seemed to tense up even more than usual. All of them were so tantalizingly close to going home, but the tension in the bus was only rising.

Beneath his coat, Adrien could feel Plagg fidgeting nervously. Adrien didn’t particularly blame him, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his entire being was on edge. Nobody on either side trusted much of anyone save Kagami and Adrien, but the years spent training together had tuned him into her slight tells. When she was anxious, she liked to rub the pad of her thumb against the pad of her middle finger. Despite her mask of stone she wore so well, Adrien knew just from that little gesture how worried she really was. The risks she was taking just for _him_ only made the pit of guilt worse.

“Kagami, I-” whatever Adrien was going to say next was interrupted by an explosion of dust and brick as the side of a building blasted apart. On Instinct, Adrien tackled Kagami out of the way and shielded her from the debris.

“ _Adrien_ , get _up_ we need to mo-” a second explosion took Kagami’s words, the two teenagers being blasted back and torn away from each other.

The ringing that had plagued Adrien’s ears the past few days was back with a vengeance. “There goes the last of my hearing,” he groaned to himself, pushing himself to his feet. The shouting of authorities and screams of panic from civilians and his team mates was muted by Adrien’s worsening tinnitus and the thick clouds of dust that coated the air. It wasn’t enough to hide the frozen suit of purple that coated a civilian.

“ _Judgement.”_ Adrien’s voice came out as a hoarse whisper as he realized the attacks he had done so much to lessen and prevent over the past week and a half were now back. _I was an idiot to think I could escape_ , he realized, watching the akuma strut away down the street, almost lazily turning any soldier who dared to raise a weapon against him to a helpless frozen purple statue.

Rage and shame coursed through him, dulling his pain. It was karma, wasn’t it? That he had sought to escape, flee with his life and safety with the promise that he would return. Civilians that lived here would be kept in the crosshairs, and Adrien had almost left them without a shield. Judgement was here to remind him just exactly what that meant.

The feeling of a hand fiercely grasping his own dragged his gaze down. What had once been carefully maintained hands that held the callouses of a fencer were now littered with cuts and bruises, but no injuries masked that grip.

“Kagami.” Adrien fixed his friend with a firm jaw and an unflinching gaze. He knew there would be no coy dancing around the truth, not now. Kagami was too smart not to know who he was, and too stubborn to pretend like she didn’t, not now when everything had so spectacularly gone to hell.

Her hair was a mess, her cheeks covered in dirt and small specks of blood from her minor cuts, but her eyes were bright. “Don’t.” Her voice came out as a whisper, a demand and a plea. For all her discipline and trained calm, the trace of fear was all too clear. Adrien couldn’t blame her, he felt it too.

“I don’t have a choice,” he replied, his voice surprisingly calm. _Maybe I’m in shock._ “This is what happens if I leave. They won’t wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir to come back as a pair, and if there’s any chance of freeing this city, it has to be taken.”

“There’s no guarantee you can stop anything without Ladybug to put down the akumas for good!” Kagami all but snarled, her grip on his hand tightening. “Why are you risking it all? This doesn’t have to be your fight alone!”

 “The alternative is condemning an innocent city!” Adrien snapped, turning to face her and stepping forward into her space. “You can’t ask me to do that!”

“And if you die? How is that fair to ask me, your friend, or any of your other friends, to sit and watch you throw yourself into a fight you can’t keep winning on your own?”

“It isn’t fair,” Adrien admitted. “But you and I both know most things _aren’t_ fair. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a responsibility.”

The fire in her eyes did not subside, but Kagami relented, releasing his hand. “This is _insanity_.”

Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is, huh?”

Kagami glared up at him. “There’s no talking you out of this?”

Part of him desperately wanted to just go back to the hotel and hide with Kagami, pretend like he didn’t have the power to stop all this, pretend that all he had to worry about was this strange relationship that he and Kagami were making and had taken a slight step towards over these past few days.

Naturally, things could never be so easy.

“I’m sorry.”

Kagami nodded and stepped back. “Then do your best not to lose. All those sparring sessions would go to waste if you did.”

“A challenge?” Adrien grinned. “Never could turn down yours.”

Kagami offered her own wry smile. “Then I suppose you’ve got no choice.”

 _That’s the kicker,_ Adrien thought to himself as he rushed after the akuma. _At the end of the day, I really don’t._

 

* * *

 

Catching up with the akuma was almost laughably easy. Judgement wasn’t trying terribly hard to lose his enemy, and Chat Noir was devilishly fast. That still didn’t stop the bridge from being a painfully obvious ploy.

“Bit of a gamble, dontcha think?” Chat asked casually, strolling across the concrete with his baton slung across his shoulders. Cars were packed on both ends of the bridge, essentially sealing them both on their thin suspended arena. No civilians in the way, and the wrath of the river was terrifyingly close.

“Well, I figure if a simple timeline reacts like that, a Miraculous User will make _quite_ the fireworks show!” Judgement responded jauntily, all Cheshire grins and malice.

Chat Noir scoffed. “You keep losing your fights with me, buddy. I don’t think you’ll get your show today.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to see, Cat!” Judgement cried out with a crazed laugh, slashing his hand through the air. Purple energy rocketed towards Chat Noir, but he was far too used to this attack by now. The hero simply shifted to the side, letting the attack sail past him harmlessly.

“Boooooring!” he drawled. The akuma growled, his right hand glowing as he gathered more energy for another attack. A suspicion crept into Chat’s mind, one that if correct…

_Only one way to see!_

Chat Noir dashed forward, batting away the magic blasts and leaping over and past the ones that he couldn’t strike out of the air. The akuma held his ground, teeth grit in determination as his opponent rushed him down, right hand outstretched. Chat slid underneath the last attack, extending his baton into the ground to propel himself towards the akuma. Judgement’s eyes widened as Chat’s deadly sharp claws streaked toward his outstretched, _gloved_ , hand, and at the last moment he yanked his arm back, dodging Chat’s gambit swipe by a hair. That was all the confirmation Chat Noir needed.

_The akuma’s in the glove. Pin him down and I’ve won!_

With a clear goal in mind, Chat reigned down a flurry of blows on his opponent, forcing the akuma towards the edge of the bridge. Judgement fought back desperately, but the difference in battle skill was all too clear. Chat Noir had won in every fight up to now, they both knew who would win this time. _So why is he grinning like that?_

No matter how badly Judgement took a hit, how much exhaustion was starting to hit the akuma, how much Chat Noir’s victory was all to clearly written, Judgement smiled as if everything was going his way. _Plagg said that there were too many powers at work for it to be just one akuma, but we never saw the second one in play. Which means-_

“Gotcha!” Judgement whispered with a smug, toothy grin.

The second akuma is a two-fold blur of pain and confusion, but Chat is too busy getting his ribs caved in to spare a thought past basic instinct. Chat uses his baton’s ability to simple _stick_ itself to any surface as if it was always there to stop his momentum backward and swing around back to earth to assess the situation.

Judgement was back on his feet, all smirks and confidence. The second akuma has a twin that turns into 5 more copies with a snap of her fingers. _Judgement called them Timelines. What even does that mean?_ Now more than ever, Chat missed the presence of his partner. Ladybug had an uncanny sense of figuring out the akumas and their powers at the slightest of hints while Chat had good battle sense and decent aim. Dealing with two very real akumas with powers he only half understood and jewels he had inklings of a thought on their location was not a battle he was well suited for. Worse yet, Chat could feel the River grow wilder beneath the bridge.

Judgement tapped his foot against the bridge. “Seems the Thames is getting pretty hungry. Care to take a dip in these friendly waters?”

“Cats and water, not known to mix y’know?” Chat quipped back. The second akuma rolled her- their- eyes.

“Focus!” the akuma and her five timelines snapped simultaneously.

Judgement shrugged. “You heard the lady. Let’s get a move on, Cat Boy.”

Chat huffed, lengthening his weapon to the length of a bo-staff. He took a deep breath, focusing on the instincts honed by the Miraculous and his experiences. _Judgement can stop me in a single touch if I lose focus. He’s the pivotal piece of the fight. Once he’s gone, I can take out the other one with ease. They’ll approach with clones first, force me close to water. I can use that._

The clones led first, rushing him in a semi-circle with the same shared thought coordination that the previous ones had demonstrated. The original and Judgement moved in behind them, ready to react if Chat went airborne. An idea sparked in his head, and suddenly Chat saw exactly how the fight would unfold.

Chat jabbed his staff forward, willing it to stretch at lightning speeds. The clone at the wrong end couldn’t react in time, being sent head over heels into her origin. Chat leapt forward, shortening his staff to an escrima length and clubbed a second clone with enough force over her temple to force her to dissipate immediately. The others were on him in an instant, but Chat had planned exactly for that.

“Up we go!” he said to himself gleefully, planting his staff in the ground and extending it to rocket him and one more unfortunate clone into the air. Judgement raised his hand, blasting off a purple shot of energy. Chat threw the clone directly into the attack’s path, her face full of rage and confusion as the energy engulfed her in a suit of immovable purple. Chat crashed into Judgement for what felt like the umpteenth time.

“Watcher!!” Judgement snarled out. Chat kicked the akuma at his partner, backflipping away from Watcher and her clones. Chat already knew he could outmaneuver them in the air, which meant that all he had to do was nail this on the first try. Easy, right?

Chat summoned Cataclysm with ease, the familiar rush of unparalleled destructive potential barely contained in his right hand. The akumas were back on their feet easily enough, quick to charge him down. They were going to fast to dodge with ease, and Chat’s back was, again, to the river. All as planned.

“Here’s to nothing,” the hero muttered, resting the end of his baton against the wall of the bridge as he slammed Cataclysm into the aging concrete and directing its hungry wave of ruin out in a fan. The concrete crumbled away immediately, and Judgement and the original Watcher were directly in front of him. Chat rocketed out over the disintegrating bridge, crashing into both akumas. Judgements glove tore beneath his claws, the butterfly immediately fleeing. Beneath him, the Thames exploded upwards, and Chat’s last thoughts before seeing the magic-laced water rush up to engulf the three of them was that his plans _never_ worked as well as he hoped.

 

**Now**

 

Hawkmoth regarded his foe with a strange mix of disgust, pity, and confusion. He had worked to keep Adrien well out of danger as best he could, yet this boy could not be any older than his son. The willingness to condemn him to death, what did that make him? Did it even trouble his heart? Or should it be troubling that part of him was genuinely debating ending this Black Cat’s life and claim the ring with ease? _Seems my humanity is on leave,_ Gabriel, Hawkmoth, thought to himself. The ends always justified the means if you won. Of course, for what came next…

Gabriel regarded the mess, the _disaster_ , his akumas and Chat Noir’s potent brand of magic had wrought. Fixing this was a necessity, that was clear. Doing it alone would be difficult, maybe even impossible. Fate’s cruel sense of humor was always at work, it would seem.

Chat Noir stirred, always quick to recover from something that would’ve killed normal men. The Black Cat always was the quickest to bounce back on its feet, after all.

“Hello, Chat Noir,” Hawkmoth drawled, curling his fingers around his swordcane. “I have a partnership proposition for you, and I think we will both find it quite profitable.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sucked to get out oof. I apologize for my quality of writing slowly circling the drain.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to message me through Tumblr @arrogance-is-my-middlename.tumblr.com


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